Please click on the paper title for a PDF version and/or more details about the publication. Some of the published papers have significantly extended versions available on arXiv, noted below. For other papers, arXiv versions, if they exist, are usually preprints which cover largely the same material, but may differ in details.
Our work often results in development of software tools for planning, control, and optimization across domains. Please click on a paper below to see whether there exists associated code appropriate for public consumption. While we make an effort to make all our work well-documented, some of our produced software is necessarily incomplete or in early stages of development. For access to the entire repository of the LEADCAT group, including unfinished work, please go to the LEADCAT GitHub.
Journal Papers
S. Bagchi, H. Kim, T. Abdelzaher, H. Alemzadeh, S. Chaterji, G. Chou, Y. Duan, F. Kong, M. Lemmon, Y. Li, M. Liu, W. Luo, M. Ma, S. Mohan, A. Mukhopadhyay, M. Ornik, D. Panagou, K. Y. Rozier, I. Ruchkin, H. Shao, S. Z. Yong, M. Zamani, X. Zhou. Digital guardians: The past and the future of cyber-physical resilience. Submitted.
S. Manoj, M. Ornik. The continuous p-dispersion problem in three dimensions. Submitted.
Early version available as arXiv:2602.23548 [math.OC].
E. Fernández Bravo, M. Ornik, J. T. Allison. Numerical estimation of bidirectional plant-control design coupling in control co-design. Submitted.
Significantly extended version of the peer-reviewed conference paper of the same name, with the same authors, published in the ASME 2024 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference — 50th Design Automation Conference, 2024.
S. Ghori, A. Adil, M. Ornik, E. Feron. Intervention strategies for fairness and efficiency at autonomous single-intersection traffic flows. Submitted.
Early version available as arXiv:2512.02562 [eess.SY].
R. Padmanabhan, M. Ornik. Ignore drift, embrace simplicity: Constrained nonlinear control through driftless approximation. Submitted.
Early version available as arXiv:2509.06188 [math.OC].
Code for reproduction of some of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
Code for reproduction of some of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
Y. Meng, T. Shafa, J. Wei, M. Ornik. Online learning and control synthesis for reachable paths of unknown nonlinear systems. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2026.
R. Padmanabhan, M. Ornik. Approximate energetic resilience of nonlinear systems under partial loss of control authority. Automatica, 2026.
G. Puthumanaillam, P. Padrao, J. Fuentes, L. Bobadilla, M. Ornik. GUIDEd agents: Enhancing navigation policies through task-specific uncertainty abstraction in localization-limited environments. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2026.
Vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 2999–3006.
DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2026.3655198
[PDF]
Associated website with code available here.
DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2026.3655198
[PDF]
Associated website with code available here.
Y. Meng, R. Zhou, M. Ornik, J. Liu. Resolvent-type data-driven learning of generators for unknown continuous-time dynamical systems. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2026.
T. Shafa, M. Ornik. Guaranteed reachability on Riemannian manifolds for unknown nonlinear systems. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2026.
P. Thangeda, H. Helmi, M. Ornik. Optimizing agricultural order fulfillment systems: A hybrid tree search approach. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 2025.
M. Vora, I. Shomorony, M. Ornik. Capacity-aware planning and scheduling in budget-constrained multi-agent MDPs: A meta-RL approach. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2025.
Vol. 10, no. 11, pp. 11944–11951.
DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3617726
[PDF]
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2025.3617726
[PDF]
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
R. Padmanabhan, A. Aspeel, N. Ozay, M. Ornik. Mode-prefix-based control of switched linear systems with applications to fault tolerance. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2025.
J.-B. Bouvier, S. P. Nandanoori, M. Ornik. Losing control of your linear network? Try resilience theory. IEEE Transactions on Control of Networked Systems, 2025.
Vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 980–992.
DOI: 10.1109/TCNS.2024.3431409
[PDF]
Modified version available under a different title as arXiv:2306.16588 [eess.SY].
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/TCNS.2024.3431409
[PDF]
Modified version available under a different title as arXiv:2306.16588 [eess.SY].
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
N. Chakraborty, M. Ornik, K. Driggs-Campbell. Hallucination detection in foundation models for decision-making: A flexible definition and review of the state of the art. ACM Computing Surveys, 2025.
J.-B. Bouvier, H. Panag, R. Woollands, M. Ornik. Delayed resilient trajectory tracking after partial loss of control authority over actuators. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 2025.
Vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 508–519.
DOI: 10.2514/1.G007652
[PDF]
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.2514/1.G007652
[PDF]
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
H. El-Kebir, A. Pirosmanishvili, M. Ornik. Online guaranteed reachable set approximation for systems with changed dynamics and control authority. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2024.
Vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 726–740.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2023.3275495
[PDF]
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2023.3275495
[PDF]
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
M. O. Karabag, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Identity concealment games: How I learned to stop revealing and love the coincidences. Automatica, 2024.
Vol. 161.
DOI: 10.1016/j.automatica.2023.111482
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2105.05377 [cs.GT].
DOI: 10.1016/j.automatica.2023.111482
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2105.05377 [cs.GT].
H. El-Kebir, R. Berlin, J. Bentsman, M. Ornik. Viability under degraded control authority. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2023.
Y. Wang, M. Ornik, R. Dong. Connection of optimal stopping time to s-t cut problems on trees. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2023.
J.-B. Bouvier, K. Xu, M. Ornik. Quantitative resilience of generalized integrators. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2023.
Vol. 68, no. 12, pp. 7591–7600.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2023.3286942
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2111.04163 [eess.SY].
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2023.3286942
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2111.04163 [eess.SY].
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
F. Nawaz, M. Ornik. Multiagent, multitarget path planning in Markov decision processes. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2023.
Vol. 68, no. 12, pp. 7560–7574.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2023.3286807
[PDF] (with a slightly differently formatted title)
Impementation of the described algorithm available on GitHub.
F. Nawaz received the Best Poster Award for related work at the 16th CSL Student Conference, 2021.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2023.3286807
[PDF] (with a slightly differently formatted title)
Impementation of the described algorithm available on GitHub.
F. Nawaz received the Best Poster Award for related work at the 16th CSL Student Conference, 2021.
K. Garg, C. Dawson, K. Xu, M. Ornik, C. Fan. Model-free neural fault detection and isolation for safe control. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2023.
F. Blahoudek, P. Novotný, M. Ornik, P. Thangeda, U. Topcu. Efficient strategy synthesis for MDPs with resource constraints. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2023.
Vol. 68, no. 8, pp. 4586–4601.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2022.3209612
[PDF]
Associated software tool (FiMDP — Fuel in Markov Decision Processes) available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2022.3209612
[PDF]
Associated software tool (FiMDP — Fuel in Markov Decision Processes) available on GitHub.
M. O. Karabag, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Exploiting partial observability for optimal deception. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2023.
M. Vora, P. Thangeda, M. N. Grussing, M. Ornik. Welfare maximization algorithm for solving budget-constrained multi-component POMDPs. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 2023.
Vol. 7, pp. 1736–1741.
DOI: 10.1109/LCSYS.2023.3280080
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2303.10302 [math.OC].
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/LCSYS.2023.3280080
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2303.10302 [math.OC].
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
T. Shafa, M. Ornik. Reachability of nonlinear systems with unknown dynamics. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2023.
J.-B. Bouvier, M. Ornik. Resilience of linear systems to partial loss of control authority. Automatica, 2023.
Vol. 152.
DOI: 10.1016/j.automatica.2023.110985
[PDF]
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1016/j.automatica.2023.110985
[PDF]
Code for reproduction of the numerical experiments in the paper available on GitHub.
P. Thangeda, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Expedited online learning with spatial side information. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2023.
J.-B. Bouvier, M. Ornik. Designing resilient linear systems. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2022.
Vol. 67, no. 9, pp. 4832–4837.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2022.3163242
[PDF]
Extended version available under a different title as arXiv:2006.13820 [eess.SY].
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2022.3163242
[PDF]
Extended version available under a different title as arXiv:2006.13820 [eess.SY].
J.-B. Bouvier, M. Ornik. The maximax minimax quotient theorem. Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, 2022.
M. O. Karabag, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Deception in supervisory control. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2022.
H. Chen, M. Ornik, K. Ho. Space exploration architecture and design framework for commercialization. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 2022.
Z. Dai, K. Xu, M. Ornik. Repulsion-based p-dispersion with distance constraints in non-convex polygons. Annals of Operations Research, 2021.
Vol. 307, pp. 75–91.
DOI: 10.1007/s10479-021-04281-z
[PDF]
Associated software tool (RApDoP: Repulsively Approaching p-Dispersion on Polygons) available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1007/s10479-021-04281-z
[PDF]
Associated software tool (RApDoP: Repulsively Approaching p-Dispersion on Polygons) available on GitHub.
M. Ornik. Comment on “TVOR: Finding Discrete Total Variation Outliers Among Histograms”. IEEE Access, 2021.
Vol. 9, pp. 78586–78593.
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3082900
[PDF]
Available under a different title as arXiv:2103.14693 [stat.ME].
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3082900
[PDF]
Available under a different title as arXiv:2103.14693 [stat.ME].
M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Learning and planning for time-varying MDPs using maximum likelihood estimation. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 2021.
Vol. 22, no. 35, pp. 1–40.
[PDF]
[PDF]
M. Ornik, S. Carr, A. Israel, U. Topcu. Control-oriented learning on the fly. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2020.
Vol. 65, no. 11, pp. 4800–4807.
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2019.2963293
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1709.04889 [math.OC].
DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2019.2963293
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1709.04889 [math.OC].
Y. Savas, M. Ornik, M. Cubuktepe, M. O. Karabag, U. Topcu. Entropy maximization for Markov decision processes under temporal logic constraints. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2020.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. Chattering in the reach control problem. Automatica, 2018.
M. E. Broucke, M. Ornik, A.-R. Mansouri. A topological obstruction in a control problem. Systems & Control Letters, 2017.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. Characterization of a topological obstruction to reach control by continuous state feedback. Mathematics of Control, Signals, and Systems, 2017.
M. Moarref, M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. An obstruction to solvability of the reach control problem using affine feedback. Automatica, 2016.
M. Ornik. Modeling the role of mutations and density independent dispersal in evolutionary rescue. Journal of Biological Systems, 2014.
Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers
R. Padmanabhan, M. Ornik. Finite-time reachability for constrained, partially uncontrolled nonlinear systems. Submitted.
Early version available as arXiv:2604.08327 [math.OC].
R. Das, R. Padmanabhan, M. Ornik, P. Jagtap. Energetic resilience under temporal logic specifications. Submitted.
H. Das, M. Ornik. Input matrix optimization for desired reachable set warping of linear systems. Submitted.
Early version available as arXiv:2604.04165 [eess.SY].
A. Casselman, M. Vora, M. Ornik. Virtual force-based routing of modular agents on a graph. Submitted.
Early version available as arXiv:2505.00928 [cs.MA].
Z. Zhang, O. Muhammetkulyyev, T. Wongpiromsarn, M. Ornik. Multi-objective stochastic shortest path with mixed max-sum costs. Submitted.
Early version available as arXiv:2512.12761 [eess.SY].
N. Chakraborty, J. Pohovey, M. Ornik, K. Driggs-Campbell. Characterizing the robustness of black-box LLM planners under perturbed observations with adaptive stress testing. Accepted to Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2026, 2026.
Early version available as arXiv:2505.05665 [cs.RO].
Y. Meng, D. Li, M. Ornik. Target prediction under deceptive switching strategies via outlier-robust filtering of partially observed incomplete trajectories. Accepted to 24th European Control Conference, 2026.
Early version available as arXiv:2504.03502 [stat.AP].
Y. Chen, S. Eggl, A. Alawini, M. Silva, M. Fowler, A. Umrawal, M. Ornik. WIP: Low effort, high grades? Benchmarking LLMs on various engineering assignments. Accepted to ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 2026.
W. L. Chang, J. M. Rojas Huamaní, G. K. Schaer, T. Bretl, S. Eggl, T. Golecki, M. Ornik, S. Salapaka, M. West, S. Hilgenfeldt. Computational tools for dynamics and controls: Developing computational literacy for engineering students. Accepted to 2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 2026.
T. Shafa, Y. Meng, M. Ornik. Reachable predictive control: A novel control algorithm for nonlinear systems with unknown dynamics and its practical applications. Accepted to 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2026.
S. Wei, M. Ornik, H. Tsukamoto. Conformal contraction for robust nonlinear control with distribution-free uncertainty quantification. 64th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2025.
A. Dey, S. Ruggerio, M. Vora, M. Ornik. Optimizing a model-agnostic measure of graph counterdeceptiveness via reattachment. IEEE 5th Cyber Awareness and Research Symposium, 2025.
G. Puthumanaillam, P. Padrao, J. Fuentes, P. Thangeda, W. E. Schafer, J. H. Song, K. Jagdale, L. Bobadilla, M. Ornik. TRACE: A self-improving framework for robot behavior forecasting with vision-language models. 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2025.
Pp. 11128–11135.
DOI: 10.1109/IROS60139.2025.11247578
[PDF]
Associated website with code available here.
DOI: 10.1109/IROS60139.2025.11247578
[PDF]
Associated website with code available here.
Z. Zhang, G. Puthumanaillam, M. Vora, M. Ornik. Motion planning and control with unknown nonlinear dynamics through predicted reachability. 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2025.
S. A. Dinkar, R. Padmanabhan, A. Clarke, P.-O. Gutman, M. Ornik. Analysis of the Unscented Transform Controller for systems with bounded nonlinearities. 5th Modeling, Estimation and Control Conference, 2025.
G. Puthumanaillam, A. Penumarti, M. Vora, P. Padrao, J. Fuentes, L. Bobadilla, J. Shin, M. Ornik. Belief-conditioned one-step diffusion: Real-time trajectory planning with just-enough sensing. 9th Conference on Robot Learning, 2025.
E. Fernández Bravo, M. Ornik, B. Dierks, J. T. Allison. Numerical estimation of the sensitivity of optimal plant design to control perturbations. ASME 2025 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference — 51th Design Automation Conference, 2025.
H. El-Kebir, M. Ornik. Sum-of-squares data-driven robustly stabilizing and contracting controller synthesis for polynomial nonlinear systems. 2025 American Control Conference, 2025.
Pp. 4512–4517.
DOI: 10.23919/ACC63710.2025.11107928
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2503.07438 [eess.SY].
DOI: 10.23919/ACC63710.2025.11107928
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2503.07438 [eess.SY].
R. Padmanabhan, M. Ornik. Energetic resilience of linear driftless systems. 11th IFAC Symposium on Robust Control Design, 2025.
Pp. 212–217.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.10.105
[PDF]
R. Padmanabhan was a finalist for the Young Author Award of the 11th IFAC Symposium on Robust Control Design for this paper.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.10.105
[PDF]
R. Padmanabhan was a finalist for the Young Author Award of the 11th IFAC Symposium on Robust Control Design for this paper.
G. Puthumanaillam, T. Bretl, M. Ornik. The lazy student's dream: ChatGPT passing an engineering course on its own. 14th IFAC Symposium on Advances in Control Education, 2025.
Pp. 213–218.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.08.049
[PDF]
Associated website with code available here.
G. Puthumanaillam received the Young Author Award of the 14th IFAC Symposium on Advances in Control Education for this paper.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.08.049
[PDF]
Associated website with code available here.
G. Puthumanaillam received the Young Author Award of the 14th IFAC Symposium on Advances in Control Education for this paper.
H. El-Kebir, M. Ornik, J. Bentsman. Empowering control engineering students through theory, implementation, and AI-assisted learning: Evaluating a project-based advanced computer control course. 14th IFAC Symposium on Advances in Control Education, 2025.
G. Puthumanaillam, J. H. Song, N. Yesmagambet, S. Park, M. Ornik. TAB-Fields: A maximum entropy framework for mission-aware adversarial planning. 7th Annual Learning for Dynamics & Control Conference, 2025.
G. Puthumanaillam, P. Padrao, J. Fuentes, L. Bobadilla, M. Ornik. Enhancing robot navigation policies with task-specific uncertainty management. 24th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, 2025.
N. Franceschini, P. Thangeda, M. Ornik, K. Hauser. Autonomous excavation of challenging terrain using oscillatory primitives and adaptive impedance control. 2025 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2025.
S. Kato, P. Thangeda, M. Ornik, K. Hauser. Multi-modal informative planning with a Gaussian process Monte-Carlo planner. ICRA 2025 Workshop on Open Challenges in Robotics for Asset Inspection and Management, 2025.
Y. Meng, R. Zhou, M. Ornik, J. Liu. Koopman-based learning of infinitesimal generators without operator logarithm. 63rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2024.
R. Padmanabhan, C. Bakker, S. A. Dinkar, M. Ornik. How much reserve fuel: Quantifying the maximal energy cost of system disturbances. 63rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2024.
G. Puthumanaillam, M. Vora, M. Ornik. ComTraQ-MPC: Meta-trained DQN-MPC integration for trajectory tracking with limited active localization updates. 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2024.
Pp. 13592–13598.
DOI: 10.1109/IROS58592.2024.10801659
[PDF]
Associated software tool (ComTraQ-MPC) available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/IROS58592.2024.10801659
[PDF]
Associated software tool (ComTraQ-MPC) available on GitHub.
Y. Meng, H. Li, M. Ornik, X. Li. Koopman-based data-driven techniques for adaptive cruise control system identification. 27th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 2024.
E. Fernández Bravo, M. Ornik, J. T. Allison. Numerical estimation of bidirectional plant-control design coupling in control co-design. ASME 2024 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference — 50th Design Automation Conference, 2024.
H. El-Kebir, R. Berlin, J. Bentsman, M. Ornik. Viabilizability of control signals under control authority degradation. 22nd European Control Conference, 2024.
G. Puthumanaillam, X. Liu, N. Mehr, M. Ornik. Weathering ongoing uncertainty: Learning and planning in a time-varying partially observable environment. 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2024.
Pp. 4612–4618.
DOI: 10.1109/ICRA57147.2024.10610954
[PDF]
ROS2 code for the drivers used on the robot available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1109/ICRA57147.2024.10610954
[PDF]
ROS2 code for the drivers used on the robot available on GitHub.
T. Shafa, R. Dong, M. Ornik. Identifying single-input linear system dynamics from reachable sets. 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2023.
Pp. 3527–3532.
DOI: 10.1109/CDC49753.2023.10384274
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2309.04340 [eess.SY].
DOI: 10.1109/CDC49753.2023.10384274
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2309.04340 [eess.SY].
K. Jagdale, Z. S. Khan, M. Menéndez, M. Ornik. Optimal planning on a single-route transit system with modular buses. 26th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 2023.
H. El-Kebir, J. Bentsman, M. Ornik. Lodestar: An integrated embedded real-time control engine. 7th IEEE Conference on Control Technology and Applications, 2023.
Pp. 886–891.
DOI: 10.1109/CCTA54093.2023.10252952
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2203.00649 [cs.RO].
Associated software tool (Lodestar) available on GitHub, and practical examples available here.
DOI: 10.1109/CCTA54093.2023.10252952
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2203.00649 [cs.RO].
Associated software tool (Lodestar) available on GitHub, and practical examples available here.
Y. Zhu, P. Thangeda, M. Ornik, K. Hauser. Few-shot adaptation for manipulating granular materials under domain shift. Robotics: Science and Systems, 2023.
X. Duan, N. Baharisangari, R. Yan, Z. Xu, M. Ornik. On a notion of resilience for Markov decision processes with reachability objectives. 22nd IFAC World Congress, 2023.
H. El-Kebir, R. Berlin, J. Bentsman, M. Ornik. Robustly linearized model predictive control for nonlinear infinite-dimensional systems. 22nd IFAC World Congress, 2023.
K. Jagdale, M. Ornik. Optimal routing of modular agents on a graph. 2023 IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, 2023.
T. Shafa, M. Ornik. Maximal ellipsoid method for guaranteed reachability of unknown fully actuated systems. 61st IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2022.
P. Thangeda, M. Ornik. Adaptive sampling site selection for robotic exploration in unknown environments. 2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2022.
A. Dey, M. Ornik. Post-disaster repair crew assignment optimization using minimum latency. 8th IEEE International Smart Cities Conference, 2022.
M. Ornik, J.-B. Bouvier. Assured system-level resilience for guaranteed disaster response. 8th IEEE International Smart Cities Conference, 2022.
J.-B. Bouvier, M. Ornik. Quantitative resilience of linear systems. 20th European Control Conference, 2022.
Pp. 477–482.
DOI: 10.23919/ECC55457.2022.9838147
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2201.12278 [eess.SY].
DOI: 10.23919/ECC55457.2022.9838147
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2201.12278 [eess.SY].
M. Ornik. Deceptive trajectory imitation using affine feedback. 2022 American Control Conference, 2022.
J.-B. Bouvier, S. P. Nandanoori, M. Ornik, S. Kundu. Distributed transient safety verification via robust control invariant sets: A microgrid application. 2022 American Control Conference, 2022.
Pp. 2202–2207.
DOI: 10.23919/ACC53348.2022.9867323
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2202.09320 [cs.SY].
DOI: 10.23919/ACC53348.2022.9867323
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2202.09320 [cs.SY].
F. Blahoudek, M. Cubuktepe, P. Novotný, M. Ornik, P. Thangeda, U. Topcu. Fuel in Markov decision processes (FiMDP): A practical approach to consumption. Formal Methods 2021, 2021.
Pp. 640–656.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-90870-6_34
[PDF]
Associated software tool (FiMDP — Fuel in Markov Decision Processes) available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-90870-6_34
[PDF]
Associated software tool (FiMDP — Fuel in Markov Decision Processes) available on GitHub.
H. El-Kebir, T. Shafa, A. Purushottam, M. Ornik, A. Soylemezoglu. High-frequency vibration reduction for unmanned ground vehicles on unstructured terrain. 8th International Conference on Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems, 2021.
W. Zheng, P. Thangeda, Y. Savas, M. Ornik. Optimal routing in stochastic networks with reliability guarantees. 24th IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 2021.
J.-B. Bouvier, K. Xu, M. Ornik. Quantitative resilience of linear driftless systems. 2021 SIAM Conference on Control and Its Applications, 2021.
Pp. 32–39.
DOI: 10.1137/1.9781611976847.5
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2101.12063 [cs.SY].
DOI: 10.1137/1.9781611976847.5
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2101.12063 [cs.SY].
H. El-Kebir, M. Ornik. Online inner approximation of reachable sets of nonlinear systems with diminished control authority. 2021 SIAM Conference on Control and Its Applications, 2021.
Pp. 9–16.
DOI: 10.1137/1.9781611976847.2
[PDF]
Code demonstrating the paper’s results available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1137/1.9781611976847.2
[PDF]
Code demonstrating the paper’s results available on GitHub.
M. Ornik. Measuring target predictability for optimal environment design. 59th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2020.
M. Ornik. Guaranteed reachability for systems with unknown dynamics. 59th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2020.
Pp. 2756–2761.
DOI: 10.1109/CDC42340.2020.9304326
[PDF] (see end of paper for a minor corrigendum)
Extended version available as arXiv:1910.00803 [math.OC].
DOI: 10.1109/CDC42340.2020.9304326
[PDF] (see end of paper for a minor corrigendum)
Extended version available as arXiv:1910.00803 [math.OC].
F. Nawaz, M. Ornik. Explorative probabilistic planning with unknown target locations. 59th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2020.
P. Thangeda, M. Ornik. PROTRIP: Probabilistic risk-aware optimal transit planner. 23rd IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 2020.
F. Blahoudek, T. Brázdil, P. Novotný, M. Ornik, P. Thangeda, U. Topcu. Qualitative controller synthesis for consumption Markov decision processes. 32nd International Conference on Computer-Aided Verification, 2020.
Part II, pp. 421–447.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-53291-8_22
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2005.07227 [cs.FL].
Associated software tool (FiMDP — Fuel in Markov Decision Processes) available on GitHub.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-53291-8_22
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:2005.07227 [cs.FL].
Associated software tool (FiMDP — Fuel in Markov Decision Processes) available on GitHub.
J.-B. Bouvier, M. Ornik. Resilient reachability for linear systems. 21st IFAC World Congress, 2020.
P. Thangeda, M. Ornik. Safety-guaranteed, accelerated learning in MDPs with local side information. 2020 American Control Conference, 2020.
Y. Savas, V. Gupta, M. Ornik, L. J. Ratliff, U. Topcu. Incentive design for temporal logic objectives. 58th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2019.
Pp. 2251–2258.
DOI: 10.1109/CDC40024.2019.9029287
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1903.07752 [math.OC].
DOI: 10.1109/CDC40024.2019.9029287
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1903.07752 [math.OC].
M. O. Karabag, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Optimal deceptive and reference policies for supervisory control. 58th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2019.
Pp. 1323–1330.
DOI: 10.1109/CDC40024.2019.9029607
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1902.00590 [math.OC].
DOI: 10.1109/CDC40024.2019.9029607
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1902.00590 [math.OC].
Z. Xu, M. Ornik, A. A. Julius, U. Topcu. Information-guided temporal logic inference with prior knowledge. 2019 American Control Conference, 2019.
M. O. Karabag, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Least inferable policies for Markov decision processes. 2019 American Control Conference, 2019.
Pp. 1224–1231.
DOI: 10.23919/ACC.2019.8815129
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1809.06482 [math.OC].
DOI: 10.23919/ACC.2019.8815129
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1809.06482 [math.OC].
M. Ornik, S. Carr, A. Israel, U. Topcu. Myopic control of systems with unknown dynamics. 2019 American Control Conference, 2019.
M. Ornik, J. Fu, N. T. Lauffer, W. K. Perera, M. Alshiekh, M. Ono, U. Topcu. Expedited learning in MDPs with side information. 57th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2018.
M. Ornik, M. S. Moura, A. Peplowski, M. E. Broucke. Adaptive cruise control design using reach control. 21st IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 2018.
Y. Savas, M. Ornik, M. Cubuktepe, U. Topcu. Entropy maximization for constrained Markov decision processes. 56th Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing, 2018.
M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Deception in optimal control. 56th Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing, 2018.
Pp. 821–828.
DOI: 10.1109/ALLERTON.2018.8635871
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1805.03090 [math.OC].
DOI: 10.1109/ALLERTON.2018.8635871
[PDF]
Extended version available as arXiv:1805.03090 [math.OC].
M. Bucić, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Graph-based controller synthesis for safety-constrained, resilient systems. 56th Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing, 2018.
P. Mercader, M. Ornik, P.-O. Gutman, I. Ioslovich. Optimal signal timing for multi-phase intersections. 15th IFAC Symposium on Control in Transportation Systems, 2018.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. A graph-theoretic approach to the reach control problem. 56th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2017.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. A nerve-theoretic result on the problem of a topological obstruction in reach control. 56th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2017.
M. Ornik, M. Moarref, M. E. Broucke. An automated parallel parking strategy using reach control theory. 20th IFAC World Congress, 2017.
M. Ornik, A. C. Sniderman, M. E. Broucke, G. M. T. D'Eleuterio. Pattern identification in distributed systems. 55th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2016.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. Characterizing equilibria in reach control under affine feedback. 10th IFAC Symposium on Nonlinear Control Systems, 2016.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. A topological obstruction to reach control by continuous state feedback. 54th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2015.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. On a topological obstruction in the reach control problem. 2015 AMMCS-CAIMS Congress, 2015.
Other Conference Papers
X. Ni, M. Ornik, G. Chou, S. Coogan. Active model discrimination for nonlinear robotic systems. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems Late-Breaking Results Session, 2025.
J. L. Bullock, L. Song, G. Puthumanaillam, Y. Li, S. Cheng, M. Ornik, S. Mitra, N. Hovakimyan. Modeling and analysis of collision avoidance with ACAS Xu in Verse for the GUAM lift + cruise model. 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, 2025.
DOI: 10.2514/6.2025-1323
[PDF]
Alternative title: Verification of a collision avoidance controller for a lift + cruise vehicle.
[PDF]
Alternative title: Verification of a collision avoidance controller for a lift + cruise vehicle.
A. N. Sivakumar, P. Thangeda, Y. Fang, M. V. Gasparino, J. Cuaran, M. Ornik, G. Chowdhary. Learning to Turn: Diffusion imitation for robust row switching in under-canopy robots. 40th Anniversary of the IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation (extended abstract), 2024.
H. El-Kebir, M. Ornik, Y. K. Nakka, C. Choi, A. Rahmani. Robust detection and identification of simultaneous sensor and actuator faults. IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2024.
G. Puthumanaillam, M. Vora, T. Shafa, Y. Li, M. Ornik, S. Mitra. Assured collision avoidance for learned controllers: A case study of ACAS Xu. 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum, 2024.
G. Puthumanaillam, Y. Mamik, M. Ornik. Online learning and planning in time-varying environments: An aircraft case study. 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum, 2024.
P. Thangeda, A. Goel, E. L. Tevere, Y. Zhu, E. Kramer, A. Daca, H. Nayar, K. Hauser, M. Ornik. Learning and autonomy for extraterrestrial terrain sampling: An experience report from OWLAT deployment. 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum, 2024.
J.-B. Bouvier, H. Panag, R. Woollands, M. Ornik. Resilience of orbital inspections to partial loss of control authority of the chaser satellite. 2022 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, 2022.
[PDF]
J.-B. Bouvier received the John V. Breakwell Student Award of the American Astronautical Society Space Flight Mechanics Committee for this paper.
J.-B. Bouvier received the John V. Breakwell Student Award of the American Astronautical Society Space Flight Mechanics Committee for this paper.
H. El-Kebir, M. Ornik. In-flight air density estimation and prediction for hypersonic flight vehicles. 23rd AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, 2020.
H. Chen, M. Ornik, K. Ho. Incentive design for commercial participation in space logistics infrastructure development and deployment. 70th International Astronautical Congress, 2019.
[PDF]
H. Chen received the Luigi G. Napolitano Award of the International Astronautical Federation for his contributions in this paper.
H. Chen received the Luigi G. Napolitano Award of the International Astronautical Federation for his contributions in this paper.
D. Ge, M. Ornik, U. Topcu. Robust myopic control for systems with imperfect observations. 2018 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, 2018.
Theses and Other Supervised Research Papers
M. Ornik. New Mathematical Tools in Reach Control Theory. 2017.
M. Ornik. Some Observations on Orbits of Driftless Bilinear Systems. 2013.
M. Ornik, A. Šušnjara. Neki prilozi teoriji egzaktne rekonstrukcije poligona. 2012.
English title: Some Contributions to the Theory of Exact Polygon Reconstruction
Supervised by Z. Drmač.
University of Zagreb Rector’s Award winning research paper
[PDF]
Supervised by Z. Drmač.
University of Zagreb Rector’s Award winning research paper
[PDF]
M. Berljafa, S. Muhvić, M. Ornik. Računanje Gaussovih integracijskih formula za sažimajuću bazu. 2011.
English title: Computation of Gaussian Quadrature Formulae for Compression Basis
Supervised by S. Singer.
University of Zagreb Rector’s Award nominated research paper
[PDF]
Supervised by S. Singer.
University of Zagreb Rector’s Award nominated research paper
[PDF]
Preprints and Supplementary Material
Z. Zhang, M. Ornik. Hierarchical motion planning and control under unknown nonlinear dynamics via predicted reachability. 2026.
Available as arXiv:2604.00320 [cs.RO].
G. Puthumanaillam, M. Ornik. Amortizing trajectory diffusion with keyed drift fields. 2026.
Available as arXiv:2603.14056 [cs.RO].
M. Vora, G. Puthumanaillam, H. Tsukamoto, M. Ornik. SCoUT: Scalable communication via utility-guided temporal grouping in multi-agent reinforcement learning. 2026.
Available as arXiv:2603.04833 [cs.MA].
J. Lee, M. Ornik. Navigating in uncertain environments with heterogeneous visibility. 2026.
Available as arXiv:2603.03495 [cs.RO].
G. Puthumanaillam, R. Padmanabhan, J. Fuentes, N. Cruz, P. Padrao, R. Hernandez, H. Jiang, W. Schafer, L. Bobadilla, M. Ornik. Online learning of deceptive policies under intermittent observation. 2025.
Available as arXiv:2509.14453 [cs.RO].
M. Vora, J. Liang, M. N. Grussing, M. Ornik. Solving truly massive budgeted monotonic POMDPs with oracle-guided meta-reinforcement learning. 2025.
Original version posted in 2024, significant revision with a new author in 2025.
Available as arXiv:2408.07192 [cs.LG].
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
Available as arXiv:2408.07192 [cs.LG].
Associated software implementation available on GitHub.
P. Thangeda, T. S. Betz, M. N. Grussing, M. Ornik. InfraLib: Enabling reinforcement learning and decision-making for large-scale infrastructure management. 2024.
Y. Zhu, P. Thangeda, E. L. Tevere, A. Goel, E. Kramer, H. Nayar, M. Ornik, K. Hauser. Few-shot scooping under domain shift via simulated maximal deployment gaps. 2024.
Available as arXiv:2408.02949 [cs.RO].
G. Puthumanaillam, M. Vora, P. Thangeda, M. Ornik. A moral imperative: The need for continual superalignment of large language models. 2024.
Available as arXiv:2403.14683 [cs.CY].
M. Ornik, M. Moarref, M. E. Broucke. Numerical values used for simulations in "An automated parallel parking strategy using reach control theory". 2017.
M. Ornik, M. E. Broucke. Some results on an affine obstruction to reach control. 2015.
Available as arXiv:1507.02957 [math.OC].