Roger W. Brockett

Roger Ware Brockett (October 22, 1938 in Seville, Ohio - March 18, 2023) is an American control theorist and the An Wang Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Harvard University, who founded the Harvard Robotics Laboratory in 1983.[1][2]

Roger W. Brockett
Born(1938-10-22)October 22, 1938
Seville, Ohio
DiedMarch 18, 2023(2023-03-18) (aged 84)
Yale New Haven Hospital
Alma materCase Western Reserve University.
Scientific career
FieldsRobotics
Control theory
InstitutionsHarvard University
Doctoral advisorMihajlo D. Mesarovic
Doctoral studentsDaniel Liberzon
Jan C. Willems
David P. Dobkin
John Baras
P. S. Krishnaprasad
John Baillieul
Other notable studentsStefano Soatto
Magnus Egerstedt

Brockett became a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1991 for outstanding contributions to the theory and practice of linear and nonlinear control systems.

Biography

Brockett was born on October 22, 1938 in Seville, Ohio to Roger Lawrence and Grace Ester (Patch) Brockett.

Brockett received his B.S. from Case Western Reserve University in 1960, and continued on to receive his M.S. in 1962 and his Ph.D. in 1964 from Case Western Reserve University as well. His Ph.D. dissertation was The Invertibility of Dynamic Systems with Application to Control under the supervision of Mihajlo D. Mesarovic.

After teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1963 to 1969, he joined the faculty at Harvard University. At Harvard, Brockett became the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Mathematics and in 1989 the An Wang Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Brockett is known for his work on control theory and linear differential systems; in 1970 he published the textbook Finite Dimensional Linear Systems.[3] Brockett has advised over 50 students, including Daniel Liberzon, Jan Willems, David Dobkin, John Baras, P. S. Krishnaprasad, and John Baillieul.

Awards and honors

Brockett received several awards and honors, including:

Trivia
  • Roger Brockett and Donald Knuth were classmates at Case Western

Death

Prof. Brockett died at Yale New Haven Hospital on Sunday March 19, 2023 due to complications from a fall he suffered in October 2022 at his home in Lexington, MA. He was 84. He was survived by his wife Carolann, children Douglas and Erik, and grandchildren Roger Jensen, Jane, Helen, William, John, Thomas and Roger Ware II. His eldest son, Mark, of New York City, predeceased him. His funeral was held at Memorial Church of Harvard University on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. [14]

References
  1. Baillieul, J. (1999). Mathematical Control Theory. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 0-387-98317-1.
  2. Roach, John (May 19, 2003). "Robots May Be Built as Companions, Expert Says". National Geographic News..
  3. Roger W. Brockett (26 May 2015). Finite Dimensional Linear Systems. SIAM. ISBN 978-1-61197-387-7.
  4. "Fellow Class of 1974". IEEE. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  5. "NAE Members Directory - Dr. Roger W. Brockett". NAE. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  6. "Richard E. Bellman Control Heritage Award". American Automatic Control Council. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  7. Baillieul, John B.; Willems, Jan C., eds. (1999). Mathematical control theory. Springer-Verlag. p. xix. ISBN 0-387-98317-1. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  8. "IEEE Control Systems Award Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  9. "IEEE Control Systems Award". IEEE Control Systems Society. Archived from the original on 2010-12-29. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  10. "W.T. and Idalia Reid Prize in Mathematics". Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  11. "Rufus Oldenburger Medal". American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  12. "IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  13. "List of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society". American Mathematical Society. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  14. "Brockett's obituary at Douglass Funeral Home". Retrieved May 10, 2023.


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