The special issue is dedicated to Professor Alexander Poznyak, on the occasion of his 70th birthday and recognition of his great contribution in the control theory and applications and teaching activity.
Both guest editors worked with Professor A. Poznyak for many years in different research centers in the USSR and Mexico and would like to write some words about our good friend.
Professor A. Poznyak began his research career being an undergraduate student of Moscow Physics-Technology Institute (MFTI) in 60s. MFTI was the best engineering university in the country. Practically from the initial stage of education leading scientists prepared students for research activity,
Alexander worked for about 25 years in the laboratory headed by Professor (later Academician) Ya Z. Tsypkin – a bright scientist and bright personality. As we remember, many young people would like to be in his team. Interesting story about how Alexander got an invitation to work in the laboratory. He came to Tsypkin’s office and said without any motivation: ‘I would like to work with you’. Reaction of Tsypkin: ‘Do you see the paper in English on my desk? Please take it and report about its results tomorrow morning’. Note, that it happened, when Alexander was far from graduation. He was invited to join the laboratory after a short discussion on the next day. Technician was the only part time position to be offered.
After graduation in 1970 with diploma titled ‘Researcher on Automatic Control’, Alexander became a full time engineer of the Institute of Control Sciences (IPU)– the oldest research center on control, founded in 1939. Control Theory as independent science was initiated and developed in the country by efforts of outstanding scientists V.S. Kulebakin, A.A. Andronov, N.N. Luzin, A.A. Feldbaum, M.A. Aizerman, Y.Z. Tsypkin, who worked at the Institute. Due to the creative atmosphere, excellent mathematical background, enthusiasm and pleasure of work, after a short time a promising young scientist became a top level professional in the area. Of course, many year’s work with Ya Z.Tsypkin, personal contacts with M.A. Aizerman and then with M.A. Krasnoselski, B.T. Polyak, R.S. Liptser and V.G. Boltyanski stimulated this process seriously.
Professor A. Poznyak received Ph.D. and D.Sci degrees from MFTI and IPU. His research activity is really multifarious: Adaptive and Robust Control, Sliding Mode Control, Stochastic Systems, Parametric Identification, H-infinity, Robust Optimal Control, and Dynamic Neural Networks. He published more then 220 scientific papers and 12 monographs. Due to encyclopedic knowledge, he was able to publish two fundamental volumes ‘Advanced Mathematical Tools for Automatic Control Engineers’.
The colleagues in Russia and other countries recognized high level of his scientific expertise and invited him to make plenary presentations at international conferences in Spain, France, and Russia. Professor A. Poznyak was invited for lectures in USA, Sweden and Canada. The most prestigious journals and conferences are seeking his evaluation of submitted papers.
Professor A. Poznyak accepted the invitation to join the research center CINVESTAV in Mexico-city as a full professor in 1993. He organised several new control courses for graduate students, supervised 37 Ph.D. and 35 MS theses. He was the head of Department of Automatic Control during 2007–2015. Currently, he is Associated editor of IMA journal on Information and Control, of NAHS (Nonlinear Analysis: Hybrid Systems) and Kybernetica. He is a Regular Member of Mexican Academy of Sciences and System of National Investigators (Emeritus Researcher).
As it was expected, many colleagues submited papers for the special issues with a wide range of topics, related directly to the research scope of Professor A. Poznyak. Stochastic systems, optimisation and stability, finite-time convergence and high order sliding mode control, passivity are among them. Control theory applications are demonstrated in 3 papers.
We hope that the Journal readers will be interested in the issue papers submitted by famous experts in control theory.