Michael Epstein, PhD
Mechanical Engineering
California Institute of Technology
Mail Code 104-44
Pasadena, CA 91125
Office: (626)395-3954
(repalce ^ with @, anti-spam measure)
Education:
California Institute of Technology: PhD - Mechanical Engineering, Defended November 27, 2007
California Institute of Technology: M.S. - Mechanical Engineering, June 2003
University of California Los Angeles: B.S. - Mechanical Engineering, June 2002
Research Interests: (publications page)
Primary Studies
My advisor at Caltech is Professor Richard Murray. We are investigating research topics in the area of controls and dynamical systems. Some of the topics I have studied include
Managing Information in Networked and Multi-Agent Control Systems (thesis work).
Investigating the interaction between control and communication systems, namely the control and observation of dynamical systems over a communication networks. For a snapshot of recent results click here.
Applying receding horizon control to spacecraft guidance and navigation during the hypersonic phase of planetary entry.
Joint project with the Computer Science and Economic Departments at Caltech on Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security. We are looking into proposing and testing a new market structure for the sale of power while maintaining stability and robustness of the power grid.
Probability map building for teams of multiple robots navigating in unknown environments.
Additional Projects
I previously worked with Professor Joel Burdick and Zoran Nenadic on algorithms for decoding analog time dependent signals from spike trains for neural prosthetics.
As part of the Aerospace Engineering 125 class, I was the project manager for a design team proposing a program for sustained human exploration of the solar system. The full presentation is available on the class website, and an executive summary can be viewed here.
Academic Experiences:
Teaching Assistant:
I was the teaching assistant for the Ae125 Spacecraft System Engineering class at Caltech for the 2004-2005 academic year. The first half of the course consists of lectures covering all the major disciplines associated with space flight systems and mission design and analysis. The second half of the course is a complete end-to-end mission and system architecture and conceptual design for a complex system. This year the students designed a rendezvous and service satellite for GEO communication satellites.
Visiting Researcher in Brazil
I spent the summer of 2004 in Brazil as part of the Control and Dynamical Systems Alliance Summer Study in Brazil. This was a truly amazing experience. Please view photos and descriptions of my trip.
Work Experiences:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
I have spent several summers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Precision Systems Group. I was responsible for developing and implementing the control system for a two-axis lathe that was built to machine X-Ray optics. A poster presentation outlining the work can be viewed here. I also helped create a metrology system to analyze surface features of X-Ray optic glass substrates with micron accuracy.
Boeing Satellite Systems
Prior to working at LLNL, I worked for two years at Boeing Satellite Systems (formerly Hughes Space and Communications). I worked in the Command and Control Subsystem unit as a hardware/software engineer. This group is responsible for developing the systems to maintain the proper orientation and position of the spacecraft at all times. My responsibilities included performing nutation dynamics analysis, testing flight software units, flowing requirements and revising subsystem specifications, unit user guides and momentum budgets.
Last Modified: 11/30/2007