April 21, 2023  – The Mezić Group is pleased to host James Richard Forbes from McGill University, Canada.

James Richard Forbes, from McGill University, Canada will give a Zoom seminar on April 21, 2023 at 9AM PST.

Title: Data-driven Koopman Operator Approximation

Abstract: Using the Koopman operator, nonlinear systems can be expressed as infinite-dimensional linear systems. Data-driven methods can then be used to approximate a finite-dimensional Koopman operator, which is particularly useful for system identification, control, and state estimation tasks. However, in practice, approximating the Koopman operator is numerically challenging, requiring a careful regularization and hyperparamter tuning. Moreover, some systems can only operate in a closed-loop fashion, motivating closed-loop approaches to system identification within a Koopman framework. This talk will present recent results on system-norm regularization, as well as closed-loop identification, both within a Koopman framework.

Short Bio: James Richard Forbes received the B.A.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering (Honours, Co-op) from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, and the M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Science and Engineering from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), Toronto, ON, Canada, in 2008 and 2011, respectively. James is currently Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. In recognition of his research contributions James was awarded a William Dawson Scholar award in 2018. James is a Full Member of the Centre for Intelligent Machines (CIM) and a Member of the Group for Research in Decision Analysis (GERAD). James was awarded the McGill Associate for Mechanical Engineering (MAME) Professor of the Year Award in 2016, the Engineering Class of 1944 Outstanding Teaching Award in 2018, and the Carrie M. Derick Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching in 2020. James is an associated editor of the International Journal of Robotics Research. The focus of James’ research is navigation and control of robotic and aerospace systems. James' research group, the Dynamics, Estimation, and Control of Aerospace and Robotic (DECAR) Systems Group, conducts fundamental and applied research in collaboration with various industrial companies in Quebec, Canada, and internationally.