Panagiotis Christofides

Panagiotis Christofides is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with a secondary affiliation in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He serves as Department Chair and holds the William D. Van Vorst Chair in Chemical Engineering Education.

• Education:
  • Diploma in Chemical Engineering (1992), University of Patras
  • M.S. in Electrical Engineering (1995), University of Minnesota
  • M.S. in Mathematics (1996), University of Minnesota
  • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering (1996), University of Minnesota

Research Focus: Christofides specializes in control systems engineering for complex industrial processes, including nonlinear/hybrid systems, economic model predictive control, fault-tolerant control, and multiscale modeling. His work bridges chemical engineering with advanced computational methods, particularly in water/energy systems and solar-cell technologies.

Scientific Leadership: He has authored over a dozen influential books and special issues on control theory and its industrial applications. Awards include AIChE Fellow, IEEE/IFAC/AAAS Fellowships, the Donald P. Eckman Award, and multiple Schuck Best Paper Awards. His research has been recognized through the NSF CAREER Award and ONR Young Investigator Award.