Soon-Jo Chung

Soon-Jo Chung is the Bren Professor of Control and Dynamical Systems at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and serves as a Senior Research Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He holds a B.S. from KAIST (1998), S.M. and Sc.D. from MIT (2002, 2007). Chung's research bridges theoretical control systems with practical aerospace robotics, focusing on autonomous spacecraft, distributed systems, and fault-tolerant control. His work emphasizes nonlinear dynamics, guidance, navigation, and control for aerial and space vehicles.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 1998
• Master of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2002
• Doctor of Philosophy (Sc.D.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2007

Research Interests: Chung’s lab at Caltech develops algorithms for autonomous systems, including resilient multi-agent spacecraft inspection, interstellar object rendezvous, and adaptive flight control under sensor failures. He pioneers work in neural networks for robotics, thermal imaging systems for aerial vehicles, and safety-critical control architectures. His research often involves experimental validation with real-world systems.

Publications Overview: His recent work explores Bayesian active sensing for fault estimation, certified safe motion planning for multi-agent systems, and meta-learning approaches for disturbance-aware control. Themes include robustness, adaptability, and formal guarantees in autonomous systems.

Awards: Chung was honored as a Bren Scholar (2016–2019) and has received recognition for Best Paper awards in his field.

Lab & Collaborations: As head of Caltech’s Autonomous Robotics and Control Lab, he collaborates with JPL on space missions and NASA initiatives. His team designs systems for lunar exploration, interstellar navigation, and urban aerial robotics, emphasizing practical implementation of theoretical advancements.