Melkior Ornik

Melkior Ornik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), with cross-appointments to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Coordinated Science Laboratory. He also holds an affiliate position at the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago. His research focuses on control, autonomy, and learning in complex systems, particularly addressing challenges in safety, resilience, and adaptability under uncertainty.

Ornik earned a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto (2017), an M.S. in Mathematics from Queen’s University (2013), and a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Zagreb (2011). Prior to UIUC, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate at the University of Texas at Austin (2017–2018).

His research interests include autonomous systems, resilient control design, learning-based control, and systems with partial or unknown dynamics. He leads the LEADCAT research group, which explores the intersection of control theory, data-driven methods, and autonomy. Key areas of application include aerospace systems, robotic navigation, and space exploration.

Ornik’s work is supported by grants from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, NASA, the Office of Naval Research, and DARPA. His contributions span guaranteed reachability analysis, resilient control under degraded conditions, and environment-aware decision-making. He has also contributed to educational initiatives, including project-based control courses and AI-assisted learning strategies.

Teaching awards include multiple recognitions as an excellent instructor at UIUC, reflecting his commitment to student engagement and well-being. He currently teaches courses such as AE 353 (Aerospace Control Systems) and AE 598 AAO (Autonomy Against the Odds).