coffee and control by Lucy Hodgins

Last Updated: April 2, 2026
Podcast in which I interview fascinating people from within the world of control theory/ control engineering. Primarily aimed at PhD/masters students but can hopefully be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in control.New episodes released monthly
Brian Douglas (Control Engineering in Industry)
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In this episode I got the opportunity to sit down with the fantastic Brian Douglas and talk about what it's like to be a control engineer in industry, common misconceptions he had, and advice for current students. We also discussed his YouTube channel, as well as a few more technical aspects of projects he's been involved with over the years!

Gioele Zardini (Engineering Trade-offs and Co-design)
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In this episode I got to speak with the fantastic Gioele Zardini about his work on the co-design framework, a fascinating framework used to optimise large interconnected systems. We cover the theoretical background of this, intuition behind it, and a ton of different applications where it’s useful, as well as discussing exciting open questions in the field!

Barbara Franci (Game Theory and Resource Allocation)
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In this episode I have a lovely conversation with Dr BarbaraFranci about her research into game theory, exploring both theoretical concepts (such as variational inequalities, forwards-backwards algorithms, and stochasticNash equilibrium-seeking problems) and practical applications, including resource allocation, energy management, and generative adversarial networks!

Meet the Faculty Candidates (Fascinating research from the CDC poster session)
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In this bonus episode I explore the work of ten fascinating researchers that I met at the Meet the Faculty Candidates poster session at CDC last month. We cover a wide array of different areas, including data-driven methods, fault-tolerant control, biological systems, PDEs, distributed estimation and a whole lot more!

CDC special (Conference of Decision and Control 2025)
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In this episode I bring my microphones with me to the conference of decision and control (CDC) where I talk to a load of interesting researchers about their recent work. Featuring discussion of a wide range of different topics, including reinforcement learning, control architecture, game theory, AI-human interaction, event-triggered control and a whole lot more!

IEEE NextCom (Fostering Community Within Controls Research)
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In this episode I talk to some wonderful members of IEEEcontrol systems society (CSS) NextCom committee about their work fostering inclusivity and belonging within CSS, as well as empowering the next generation of leaders within control. We also cover how you can be a part of this!

Sophie Schirmer (Quantum Control 2: Controllability and Robustness)
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This month I got to interview Sophie Schirmer about herfascinating work on quantum control, including notions such as controllability and realisability, different types of quantum states (including pure, mixed, and dark states), comparison between different approaches to optimisation, and the quantum phenomena inside MRI scanners!

Carrie Weidner (Quantum Control 1: Optimisation and Application)
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In this month’s episode got to talk to Dr Carrie Weidner allabout controlling quantum systems! I find out what the control objective is forthese systems, how to characterise their robustness (or at least attempt to),how easy it is to apply this to practical systems, and a lot more besides.

Andy Lawrence (EPSRC grant funding)
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In this episode I sit down with Dr Andy Lawrence and learn all about the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), including his top tips on successful grant applications, advice for not getting discouraged by rejected submissions, how to build successful collaborations with industry, and a lot more besides!

Alberto Padoan: Part 2 (Distances between behaviours and inControl podcast)
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This episode features the second part of my interview with the fantastic Alberto Padoan! Featuring discussions of data-driven modelling in a geometric/ non-linear context, how to define distances in a behavioural systems setting, and the origin story of his podcast, inControl.

Alberto Padoan: Part 1 (Moments of Systems and Model Reduction)
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In this episode I sit down with the wonderful Alberto Padoan and discuss his work on model order reduction and generalising concepts from linear systems to the non-linear setting.

Ying Shuai Quan (Model Predictive Control and Autonomous Driving)
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In this episode I sit down with Dr Ying Shuai Quan and getexcited about her work on adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems, with particular focus on applying model predictive control. Features deep-dives into various aspects of MPC, with occasional offshoots into other cool areas of control!

ECC Special (European Control Conference 2025)
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This episode is an ECC special, where I go on a trip to theEuropean control conference and bring you with me!

Mathias Foo (River systems and biochemical control)
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In this episode I interview Dr Mathias Foo about his fascinating research on controlling river systems, implementing control systems using DNA, and gene network rewiring. Basically applying control to a bunch of different systems that you weren’t expecting.

Jonathan Mayo-Maldonado (Switched systems and DC networks)
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In this episode I interview Jonathan Mayo Maldonado about his work on applying the behavioural framework to modelling and controlling switched systems, as well as applying data-driven control to power systems!

Paolo Rapisarda (Behavioural systems and Willems' fundamental lemma)
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In this episode I talk to Professor Paolo Rapisarda about a bunch of interesting theoretical (but very useful) aspects of control, including his work on behavioural systems theory, model reduction, Willems’ fundamental lemma, and data-driven control.

Sabine Hauert (Swarm robotics and artificial evolution)
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In this episode I interview Professor Sabine Hauert about the super interesting work she does on the control of swarm robots, how considering nanoparticles as swarms can be used to treat cancer, and how morphogenesis can generate structure from random interactions.

William Holderbaum (Geometric control and electroactive matter)
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In this episode, I talk to Professor William Holderbaum about some of the many fascinating areas of research he’s involved in, including Boolean control, geometric control, and control of electroactive polymer gels—plus a lot more!

Zehor Belkhatir (Fractional order modelling and cancer control)
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In this episode I talk to Dr Zehor Belkhatir about her fascinating work using fractional order systems to model the brain, as well as how control can be used for chemotherapy treatment.

Matthew Turner (Anti-windup and aircraft control)
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In this episode we interview Professor Matthew Turner, professor in the Cyber Physical Systems group at the university of Southampton, about his fascinating work on aircraft control, anti-windup, Lur’e systems, and his recent research into applying techniques from control theory to the analysis of neural networks.

Chris Freeman (Iterative learning control and stroke rehabilitation)
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In this first episode, I talk to Chris Freeman, professor of applied control at the University of Southampton and expert on all things related to iterative learning control and its application in rehabilitation.

Coffee and Control trailer
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Trailer for my new control-related podcast! Epsiodes will be released on the 1st of each month.

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