Education

• 2018, Ph.D. in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada
• 2012, M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada
• 2006, B.S. Mechatronics Engineering, NUST, Pakistan

Professional profile

• 2023 - Present, Postdoctoral Fellow, RISC Lab, KAUST
• 2021 - 2022, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
• 2019 - 2021, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Toronto, Queens University, and York University, Canada

Selected Publications

• A. Akhtar, R. Sanfelice, "Global Accelerated Nonconvex Geometric Optimization Methods on SO(3)", American Control Conference (ACC), 2023.
• A. Akhtar, R. Sanfelice, "Hybrid Geometric Controllers for Fully-Actuated Left-invariant Systems on Matrix Lie Groups", Control and Decision Conference (CDC), 2022.
• A. Akhtar, "Coordinated Path Following for a Class of Underactuated Multi-Agent System Using Nested Set Stabilization", American Control Conference (ACC), 2022.
• A. Akhtar, R. Sanfelice, "A Class of Hybrid Geometric Controllers for Robust Global Asymptotic Stabilization on S¹", American Controls Conference (ACC), 2022.
• A. Akhtar, S. Saleem, J. Shan, "Path following of a quadrotor with a cable-suspended payload", IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 2022. 
  DOI:10.1109/TIE.2022.3167130 
• A. Akhtar, S. Saleem, J. Shan, "Path invariant controllers for a quadrotor with a cable-suspended payload using a global parameterization", IEEE Transactions on Control System Technologies, 2021.
  DOI: 10.1109/TCST.2021.3133693
• A. Akhtar, S. Saleem, S. Waslander, "Feedback Linearizing Controllers on SO(3) using a Global Parametrization", American Control Conference (ACC), 2020.
• A. Akhtar, S. Waslander, "Controller Class for Rigid Body Tracking on SO(3)", IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 2020.
  DOI: 10.1109/TAC.2020.3008295
• A. Akhtar, S. Saleem, S. Waslander, "Path Following for a Class of Underactuated Systems Using GlobalParameterization", IEEE Access, 2020.
  DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2974153
• A. Akhtar, S. Waslander, and C. Nielsen, "Path following using dynamic transverse feedback linearization for car-like robots", IEEE Transactions on Robotics, page (269-279), 2015.

Areas of Expertise and Research Interests

• Robotics
• Drones
• Geometric and Hybrid Controls