Aldo Balestrino
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Aldo Balestrino | |
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| Born | 1941 (age 83–84) Mercato San Severino |
| Died | September 2013 (aged 2003–2004) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Alma mater | University of Naples Federico II |
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Aldo Balestrino (1941 – September 2013) was an Italian engineer, scientist, and educator, known for his contributions to automatic control and robotics. He served as a professor at the University of Naples and later at the University of Pisa, where he founded a prominent school of control engineering. Balestrino’s work spanned systems theory, control engineering, neural networks, and electrical drives, and he published over 200 scientific papers in these fields. He received several honors for his academic service, including the Order of Cherubino, the highest academic honor awarded by the University of Pisa.
Early life and education
Aldo Balestrino was born in 1941 in Mercato San Severino, in the province of Salerno, Italy. He attended the University of Naples Federico II, where he received his Laurea degree in Electronic Engineering in 1968. After graduating, he remained at the University of Naples as a research assistant in applied mathematics and as a lecturer in automatic control and systems theory. Balestrino played an instrumental role in developing the university’s research group in control systems and robotics, and by 1980 he had become a full professor of Systems Theory at the University of Naples.
Academic career
In 1984, Balestrino moved to the University of Pisa to assume the chair of Automatic Control (Controlli Automatici). At Pisa, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering and later became involved in the establishment of the Department of Electrical Systems and Automation. He served as the Head of the Department of Electrical Systems and Automation from 1990 to 1998. During the same period, he introduced and led the doctoral program (*Dottorato di Ricerca*) in Automation and Industrial Robotics – serving as its coordinator from 1989 to 1999 – and subsequently headed the Ph.D. program in Robotics, Industrial Automation Systems and Bioengineering from 1999 to 2001. Through these roles, Balestrino mentored a generation of Italian engineers and significantly advanced the research and teaching of automation and robotics.
Balestrino also contributed to academic governance and collaborated with various institutions, including the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno, to support education and training in engineering. In 2013, after decades of service, he was named Professor Emeritus of the University of Pisa.
Research contributions
Balestrino’s research covered a broad range of topics in control engineering. His interests included systems theory, control engineering (particularly multivariable control), neural networks, and electrical drives. He developed innovative methods for the analysis and synthesis of control systems and explored architectures for fault diagnosis and the control of automated systems. His work in industrial automation led to the introduction of variable-structure controllers for electric drives and power converters, as well as novel control solutions for manufacturing processes.
In theoretical research, Balestrino investigated nonlinear and chaotic systems, extending concepts such as the entropy of curves to multiple dimensions for classifying complex dynamic systems. Many of his innovations were transferred to industry through collaborative projects. Since 1994, he served as the National Coordinator of several research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR).
Honors
Aldo Balestrino received numerous accolades throughout his career. In 2011, the University of Pisa awarded him the "Ordine del Cherubino", the University of Pisa highest honor, in recognition of his distinguished achievements in research and teaching. In 2013, the University of Pisa appointed him Professor Emeritus, acknowledging his long and impactful service. Balestrino’s legacy is remembered in academic circles for his leadership, innovative research, and mentorship in the fields of systems and control engineering.
References
External links
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