Ian R. Petersen


Ian Richard Petersen is an Australian control theorist known for his contributions to robust control, quantum control, and stochastic systems. He has worked on the theoretical foundations of quantum feedback, risk-sensitive and H-infinity control, as well as frameworks for the analysis of negative imaginary systems. He is particularly known for his work in H-infinity control, and is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field of quantum control theory. He is a professor at the Australian National University, affiliated with the Research School of Engineering.
Petersen is one of the researchers who introduced the concept of negative imaginary systems, providing a theoretical foundation for their analysis and control.

Education and career

Petersen received his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the University of Melbourne in 1979. He later earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rochester, United States, completing his doctorate in 1984. His doctoral studies were supported by a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship.
From 1985 to 2016, he held various academic positions at the University of New South Wales, including Scientia Professor, Australian Laureate Fellow, and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor. He joined the Australian National University in 2017.
He has held visiting fellowships at institutions including Caltech, the University of Tokyo, and the University of Cambridge.

Awards and honors