Optimal design of stochastic networked control systems

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The goal of the proposed research is to advance the understanding of networked and cooperative control systems under uncertainty and information constraints. Stochastic networked control systems arise in many practical settings (such as in decentralized and adaptive power regulation in the energy/power grid, automotive applications for collision avoidance, sensor networks and in economics theory). However, there are many fundamental and practical aspects yet to be understood regarding such systems. The proposed research will have three main technical and practical contributions: (i) Development of a quantitative theory on the performance of decentralized dynamic systems given information constraints. This will lead to design principles for practical systems and infrastructure design for a large variety of applications. (ii) Stochastic stability of complex connected systems through event-driven communications and development of stochastic drift criteria for stability of such systems. This is important for decentralized systems which can only communicate when resources are available. (iii) Generation of approximately optimal control policies when controllers are able to learn the dynamics of a system through partial information or training sequences. This is especially important in cognition and learning aspects of controllers for adapting to an unknown environment in which they live and act.