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AVL Director

J. Sean Humbert, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Aerospace Engineering 3182 Glenn L. Martin Hall University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 301/405-0328 TEL 301/314-9001 FAX humbert@umd.edu

Research Interests:

Professor Humbert’s research interests are at the intersection of dynamics and control theory with the rapidly emerging area of bio-inspired sensing and locomotion. Recent efforts have focused on formalizing the control relevance of the spatial decompositions of optic flow performed within the insect visuomotor system, and have resulted in novel methodologies for visual stabilization of autonomous guidance and navigational tasks. This research has been well received in both the engineering and biology fields, as three recent papers have been awarded best paper honors, including the AIAA Conference on Guidance, Navigation, and Control (2005), the American Control Conference (2004), and the International Conference on Insect Sensors and Robotics (2004).

Professional Preparation:

• University of California, Davis, Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Science, 1997
• California Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Master of Science, 1999
• California Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy, 2001-05
  

Appointments:

• Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland at College Park 2005-Present
• Joint appointment in: Bio-Engineering Graduate Program 2006-Present
• Program Manager, Space & Strategic Programs, Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion 2000-2002
• Senior Design Engineer, Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion 1999-2000
• Visiting Researcher, United Technologies Research Center, Hartford, CT 1998

Relevant Publications:

• Humbert, J. S. and Frye, M. A., “Extracting Behaviorally Relevant Retinal Image Motion Cues via Wide-Field Integration”, American Control Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2006
• Humbert, J. S., Murray. R. M., and Dickinson, M. H., “Pitch-Altitude Control and Terrain Following Based on Bio-Inspired Visuomotor Convergence”, AIAA Conference on Guidance, Navigation and Control, San Francisco, CA, 2005.
  Winner of best paper award
• Humbert, J. S., Murray. R. M., and Dickinson, M. H., “A Control-Oriented Analysis of Bio-Inspired Visuomotor Convergence”, 44th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Seville, Spain, 2005
• Humbert, J. S., Murray. R. M., and Dickinson, M. H., “Sensorimotor Convergence in Visual Navigation and Flight Control Systems”, 16TH IFAC World Congress, Prague, Czech Republic, 2005
• Reiser, M. B., Humbert, J. S., Dunlop, M. J., Del Vecchio, D., Murray. R. M., and Dickinson, M. H., “Vision as a Compensatory Mechanism for Disturbance Rejection in Upwind Flight”, American Control Conference, Boston, MA, 2004. Winner of best student paper competition

Other Selected Publications:

• Humbert, J. S. and Krener, A. J., “Dynamics and Control of Entrained Solutions in Multi-Mode Moore-Greitzer Compressor Models”, International Journal of Control, vol. 71, No. 5, pp. 807-821, 1998
• Indermuehle, K. C., Brillhart, R., Moehrle, F. X., and Humbert, J. S., “Determination of Environment for Component Testing Using Test and Analysis”, IMAC-XXI, Kissimmee, FL, 2003
• Lacombe, A., Pichon, T., Ferrey, M., Ellis, R., Humbert, J. S., and Payne, F. M., “Ground Qualification of an Improved C-C Deployable Nozzle Extension Assembly for Delta IV”, 38th AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, Indianapolis, IN, 2002
• Pichon, T., Lacombe, A., Joyez, P., Ellis, R., Humbert, J. S., and Payne, F. M., “RL10B-2 Nozzle Extension Assembly Improvements for Delta IV”, 52nd International Astronautical Congress, Toulouse, France, 2001
• Humbert, J. S. and Krener, A. J., “Analysis of Higher Order Moore-Greitzer Compressor Models”, 44th IEEE Conference on Control Applications, Hartford, CT, 1997

Consulting:

• Insect-based obstacle avoidance for unmanned air vehicles with Tanner Research, Inc. (under Air Force SBIR AF06-149)

Honors and Awards:

• AIAA Outstanding Mentor Award, Department of Aerospace Engineering, UMCP, 2006
• Best Paper Award, AIAA Conference on Guidance, Navigation, and Control, 2005
• Best Student Paper Award, American Control Conference (ACC), 2004
• Best Poster Prize, International Workshop on Insect Sensors and Robotics, 2004
• 1st Place, Red Bull Flügtag Human-Powered Flying Competition, 2002, 2003
• Departmental Citation, Mechanical Engineering, UCD, 1997

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