Personal Homepage of Moritz Diehl Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl, Optimization in Engineering Center (OPTEC) and Electrical Engineering Department ESAT , Division SCD (Room 02.82) K.U.Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 10, 3001 Leuven-Heverlee, Belgium Phone: +32-16-321884 (Secr: -321122/-321709, Fax: -328539/-321970) private: Ernest Solvaystraat 3 3010 Leuven Kessel-Lo, Belgium Phone: +32-16-583845 Mobile: +32-472-449374 / +49-178-7237602 E-mail:

• Principal Investigator of K.U. Leuven's Optimization in Engineering Center (OPTEC) .
• General research interests: Optimization and Control, in particular algorithms for embedded optimization and model predictive control (MPC), nonlinear-, convex-, and robust optimization.
  Aim of our research at OPTEC is to develop tailored optimization algorithms for applications in mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineering, including real-world experiments.
• Postdoc Promotor of:
  • Dr. Carlo Savorgnan (State Space Approaches to Optimal Control, since 2008)
• PhD Supervisor and Main Promotor of:
  • Hans Joachim Ferreau (Fast Model Predictive Control Algorithms, with Joos Vandewalle, since 2007)
  • Boris Houska (Stability and Robustness Optimization for Periodic Systems, since 2007)
  • Joel Andersson (Optimal Control of Solar Thermal Power Plants, since 2008)
  • Quoc Tran Dinh (Sequential Convex Programming, since 2008)
  • Yanna Stamati (Nonlinear Black-Box MPC, since 2009)
  • Attila Kozma (Distributed Optimization and MPC, since 2009)
• PhD Supervisor and Co-Promotor of:
  • Niels Haverbeke (Moving Horizon State Estimation, with Bart De Moor, since 2006)
  • Lieboud Van den Broeck (Mechatronic MPC, with Jan Swevers, since 2007)
  • Julian Bonilla (Estimation and Optimal Control of Chemical Processes, with Bart De Moor and Jan Van Impe, since 2007)
  • Bart Saerens (Automotive Model Predictive Control, with Erik Van den Bulck, since 2007)
  • Marnix Volckaert (Nonlinear Iterative Learning Control, with Jan Swevers, since 2008)
  • Tom Kraus (Combine Harvester Control, with Josse De Baerdemaeker, since 2008)
• PhD Advisor or PhD Jury Member of:
  • Diederik Verscheure (Time Optimal Robot Arm Control, prom. Jan Swevers and Joris De Schutter, 2005-2009)
  • Goele Pipeleers (Extended LMI Characterizations in Robust Control, prom. Jan Swevers and Bram Demeulenaere, 2005-2009)
  • Joris Vanbiervliet (Smooth Reformulations for Eigenvalue Optimization, prom. Wim Michiels and Stefan Vandewalle, since 2006)
• Leader of Fast Model Predictive Control Group
• Leader of Leuven Kite Power Group
• Member of Virtual Institute of Central Receiver Solar Power Plants (VICERP)
• Member of EU Project Hierarchical and Distributed Model Predictive Control (HD-MPC).
• Member (and initiator) of EU Project EMBOCON - Embedded Optimization for Control
• Academic Partner of Austrian Center of Competence in Mechatronics (ACCM)
• Research with external partners:
  • Walking Robot Predictive Control (with Pierre-Brice Wieber and Katja Mombaur)
  • Mixed Integer Dynamic Optimization (with Sebastian Sager)
  • Periodic PDE Optimization (with Andreas Potschka and Hans Georg Bock)
  • "Lifted Newton" Methods for Optimization (with Jan Albersmeyer and Hans Georg Bock)
  • Adjoint Based SQP Methods (with Leonard Wirsching, Hans Georg Bock, Andrea Walther, Ekaterina Kostina)

• Editorial board memberships:
  • JIMO - Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization
  • starting Jan. 2010: Acta Applicandae Mathematicae (as Corresponding Editor)
• Organization of Conferences:
  • Belgian-French-German Conference on Optimization (BFG 09), 14-18 September 2009 (organizing chair)
  • Czech-French-German Conference on Optimization (CFG07), 17-21 September 2007 (organizing chair)
• Organization of International Workshops and Symposia:
  • OPTEC Workshop on Distance Measures and Eigenvalue Optimization, 19-20 June 2008
  • Workshop on Optimal Experimental Design
  • Workshop on NMPC Software and Applications, April 19-20, 2007
  • Workshop on Modelling and Optimization of Power Generating Kites, January 30, 2007
  • "Fast Motions in Biomechanics and Robotics - Optimization and Feedback Control" September 7-9, 2005, Heidelberg ( press release )
  • "Workshop on State Estimation", Heidelberg, April 7-8, 2005
• Organization of Regular Lectures and Events:
  • Simon Stevin Lecture Series on Optimization in Engineering (each quarter year, since 2006)
  • K.U. Leuven Seminars on Optimization in Engineering and other OPTEC events

• November 2009: ATHENS Course "Numerical Optimal Control Algorithms, and Applications in Renewable Energy Systems"
• Winter 2009: Lecture "Numerical Optimization" (B-KUL-H03E3A Optimalisatie). Script (137 p.) as PDF or Hyperlink-PDF
• Winter 2008: Lecture "Numerical Optimization" (B-KUL-H03E3A Optimalisatie)
• November 2007: Graduate School Course "Numerical methods for nonlinear optimal control problems"
• November 2007: ATHENS Course "Dynamic Process and System Optimization"
• March 2007: ATHENS Course "Dynamic Process and System Optimization"
• Winter 2007: Lecture "Numerical Optimization" (B-KUL-H03E3A Optimalisatie)
• Winter 2006: Lecture "Numerical Optimization" (B-KUL-H03E3A Optimalisatie)
• Summer 2006: Lecture "Modern Convex Optimization"
• Summer 2005: Lecture "Numerical Mathematics II: Optimization with ordinary differential equations"
• Winter 2004/2005: Lecture "Algorithmic Optimization I"
• Industry Workshop "Dynamic Process Optimization", Ladenburg, October 7-8, 2004
• Winter 2003: Lecture "Algorithmic Optimization I"
• Summer 2003: Lecture "Mathematik B für die molekulare Biotechnologie", 4 hours a week (Script in German)
• Winter 2002/2003: Lecture "Mathematik A für die molekulare Biotechnologie", 4 hours a week.
• Summer 2002: Lecture "Introduction into Numerical Mathematics" , 4 hours a week, and organisation of exercises,

• since 2006: Associate professor (with tenure), ESAT-SCD, K.U. Leuven, and PI of OPTEC
• 2001-2006: Scientific assistant (C1) at IWR, Heidelberg University
• spring 2005: research stay at Univ. Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
• spring 2003: Long term fellow at IMA, University of Minnesota, USA
• spring 2002: research stay at INRIA Rocquencourt
• 1999-2001: PhD at IWR, Heidelberg University (summa cum laude, thesis )
• 1993-99: Diploma of Physics at Heidelberg University (with distinction)
• 1995-96: Mathematical Tripos Part IIB at Cambridge University, UK (equiv. first class pass)
• 1992-93: Hamburg University of Fine Arts: one semester studies of Industrial Design
• Civil Service, Umweltbehörde Hamburg: Environmental consulting.
• Grammar School Gymnasium Lerchenfeld, Hamburg

Languages: German, English, Italian, French, Dutch

• Software:
  • ACADO Toolkit - an Open-Source Toolkit for Automatic Control and Dynamic Optimization developed at OPTEC
  • qpOASES - an Open-Source parametric QP solver using the Online Active Set Strategy
• Some Optimization and Control Groups:
  • Philippe Toint, FUNDP, Namur
  • Yurii Nesterov, CORE, Louvain-la-Neuve
  • Hans Georg Bock, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg
  • Sebastian Sager, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg
  • James B. Rawlings, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Frank Allgöwer, Institute for Systems Theory in Engineering, Stuttgart
  • Rolf Findeisen, Institute for Automation Engineering, Magdeburg
  • Stephen P. Boyd, Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University
  • Larry Biegler, Chemical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
  • Dominikus Noll, Toulouse
  • Manfred Morari, Automatic Control Laboratory, Zurich
  • Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), Minneapolis
• Other Interesting Links:
  • Jan Dvorak (Music/Theatre)
  • Johanna Diehl (Photography)
  • Presentations to King Albert-II on Oct. 1, 2009