Ian Petersen

Professor Ian Petersen is a faculty member at the Australian National University (ANU) since 2017, holding the position of Professor in the Research School of Engineering within the ANU College of Systems & Society. He previously held roles at UNSW from 1985–2016, including Scientia Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow. His academic journey includes a PhD (Electrical Engineering) from the University of Rochester (1984), MSc (Electrical Engineering) from the same institution, and a BEng (Electrical) with First Class Honours from the University of Melbourne (1979).

Professor Petersen’s research focuses on Systems and Control Theory, with specialties in Robust Control Theory, Quantum Control Systems, Negative Imaginary Systems Theory, and applications in Quantum Optics, Flexible Structures, and Aerospace Systems. His work bridges theoretical advancements and practical engineering solutions, such as control in quantum optics, aircraft control, and fault detection in chemical processes.

He has received numerous accolades, including Fellowships from the Australian Academy of Science, IEEE, and the International Federation of Automatic Control. Notable awards include the ISI Highly Cited Researcher distinction and the 2014 Best Paper Award at the World Congress on Intelligent Control and Automation. Petersen is actively involved in editorial roles, including Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology and Automatica.

His research has been supported by grants such as the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (USA) and Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grants. Recent projects include Systems Theory Approach to Modelling and Robust Design of Quantum Information Processing Devices (AFOSR, 2016–2018) and an ARC Laureate Fellowship (2011–2016) focusing on quantum systems theory. Petersen’s work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, addressing challenges in quantum technology, control systems, and energy networks.