Farhad Mehdifar obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Control Engineering from University of Tabriz, Iran, in 2015 and 2018, respectively. His work focuses on analysis and control of efficient formation flight in birds’ flocks taking into account aerodynamic factors for reproducing the migratory birds’ collaborative behaviors from first principles (energy optimization, fluid dynamics, and social interactions at the group level). To this end, he will analyze and design controllers for a multi-agent system with flow-mediated inter-agent interactions leading to efficient formation shapes helping birds to fly longer distances. Designed controllers should be consistent with animal behavior, and evolutionary biology without too many abstractions. Two important questions regarding his research are: (i) How formations emerge from the collaboration between flyers optimizing their efficiency. (ii) Which kind of and how much collaboration and reciprocation is required among birds to approach an optimally efficient flight.
