Xiaodong Cheng

Xiaodong Cheng is an Assistant Professor at the Mathematical and Statistical Methods (Biometris) group in the Department of Plant Science at Wageningen University & Research. His research focuses on control systems, optimization, and machine learning, with applications in agricultural and energy systems. He holds a Ph.D. (cum laude) from the University of Groningen, under Prof. Jacquelien Scherpen, and prior roles include Research Associate at the University of Cambridge and Postdoctoral Researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology.

Education:

• B.S. and M.E. from Northwestern Polytechnical University, China (2011, 2014)
• Ph.D. (cum laude) in Engineering from the University of Groningen, Netherlands (2018)

Research Interests: Data-driven modeling, dimensionality reduction, learning-based control, system identification, and applications in agriculture and energy. He emphasizes practical implementations through tools like SYSDYNET and Bayesian neural ODEs for greenhouse systems.

Key Contributions: His work spans model reduction for network systems, fault-tolerant control, and stochastic MPC for greenhouse production. Recent trends in his publications highlight advancements in resilient microgrid control, precision agriculture via drone-based sensing, and Bayesian methods for dynamic systems.

Awards:

• Automatica Paper Prize Award (2017–2019)
• IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology Outstanding Paper Award (2020)

Labs/Teams: Leads the Biometris group's efforts in integrating control theory and machine learning for sustainable systems. His work often collaborates with agricultural and energy sector stakeholders for real-world impact.