Serdar Yuksel

Serdar Yuksel is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Queen's University, Canada, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Science. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and B.Sc. from Bilkent University. His research focuses on stochastic control theory, information theory, probability theory, and their applications in decentralized systems, networked control, and reinforcement learning. Yuksel's work bridges control, information, and probability, addressing challenges in stochastic stability, optimal control under partial/decentralized information, and ergodic properties of dynamical systems.

Education:

• Ph.D. (2006) - Electrical and Computer Engineering - UIUC
• M.Sc. (2003) - Electrical and Computer Engineering - UIUC
• B.Sc. (2001) - Electrical and Electronics Engineering - Bilkent University

Research Interests:

• Stochastic control theory, including optimization and stability of Markovian systems
• Information theory, particularly zero-delay coding and systems with feedback
• Probability theory, focusing on Markov processes and ergodic theory
• Decentralized and networked control systems under information constraints
• Reinforcement learning and approximation methods for stochastic systems

Awards:

• 2013 CAIMS/PIMS Early Career Award in applied mathematics

Teaching and Academic Leadership:

Yuksel has taught courses such as Optimization and Control of Stochastic Systems, Mathematics of Engineering Systems, and served as Chair of Mathematics & Engineering at Queen's University. He advises numerous graduate and undergraduate students, mentoring projects in control theory, optimization, and applied mathematics.

Labs/Teams:

Leads the Stochastic Control (and Related Fields) research group, collaborating on topics like decentralized control, information structures, and mean-field games. Active in organizing seminars and international collaborations.