The Adaptive Control System (ACS) developed by Armenian mathematician and University of Illinois professor Naira Hovakimyan, is widely used to monitor and control aircraft around the world, enhancing aviation safety even in extremely unstable weather conditions. Beyond aviation, ACS has also proven effective in shipping, the oil industry, and various other sectors.
Hovakimyan views science as a means to improve people’s lives, and in this spirit, she has also made significant contributions to robotics and applications in elderly care.
Professor Naira Hovakimyan of the University of Illinois is recognized as an innovative scientist in the fields of autonomous systems, machine learning, neural networks, aerospace, and biomedical engineering. She has been a faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) since 2008, where she leads the NASA-funded AVIATE Center. In addition to her academic work, she is the
co-founder and chief scientist of IntelinAir, a technology startup that analyzes aerial imagery for the agricultural sector. Hovakimyan has authored over 500 research papers and two books.
Hovakimyan’s contributions have been highly recognized by the scientific community, earning her prestigious awards from the AIAA, SWE, and the Humboldt Foundation. Her work has also received widespread attention in the international media, including features in The New York Times, CNBC, and Fox News. The inspiring story of the Armenian scientist began in Yerevan, where during her school years, she was first captivated by the English language, and later by geometry and physics. She earned her master’s degree from the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics at Yerevan State University, and completed her doctorate at the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics in Moscow. During some of the most challenging years for Armenia—marked by blockade, war and darkness—she spent a year and a half studying and conducting research at leading scientific institutions in Germany and France through an educational exchange program. The opportunity to establish herself in the United States came in 1998, when she accepted a position at Georgia Tech. Despite facing various challenges, she quickly adapted and mastered the fundamentals of several new fields. An invitation to join Virginia Tech soon after laid the foundation for continuing her professional career and life in the United States.
Today, the mathematician and scientist is part of the global scientific elite—a mission-driven individual who channels her achievements toward the advancement of science and the betterment of humanity.
Photo by illinois.edu site
