Avishai Weiss
- Phone: 617-621-7559
- Email:
-
Position:
Research / Technical Staff
Senior Principal Research Scientist,
Team Leader -
Education:
Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2013 -
Research Areas:
External Links:
Avishai's Quick Links
-
Biography
Avishai's doctoral research was on spacecraft orbital and attitude control. Prior to the University of Michigan, he studied at Stanford University, where he received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Avishai's interests are in constrained control, model predictive control, and time-varying systems.
-
Recent News & Events
-
NEWS MERL collaborator Yuri Shimane receives IFAC Young Author Applications Paper Prize Date: August 28, 2026
MERL Contacts: Stefano Di Cairano; Avishai Weiss
Research Areas: Control, Dynamical Systems, OptimizationBrief- MERL collaborator and former intern Prof. Yuri Shimane received the IFAC Young Author Applications Paper Prize at the 23rd IFAC World Congress 2026, held August 23–28 in Busan, South Korea for a paper co-authored with MERL researchers.
The award recognized Prof. Shimane paper, “Scenario-Based Model Predictive Control for Station Keeping on Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit,” co-authored with Masafumi Isaji and MERL researchers Avishai Weiss and Stefano Di Cairano.
MERL congratulates Yuri and his co-authors on this recognition.
- MERL collaborator and former intern Prof. Yuri Shimane received the IFAC Young Author Applications Paper Prize at the 23rd IFAC World Congress 2026, held August 23–28 in Busan, South Korea for a paper co-authored with MERL researchers.
-
NEWS MERL researchers contribute six papers to IFAC World Congress 2026 Date: August 23, 2026 - August 28, 2026
Where: Busan, South Korea
MERL Contacts: Stefano Di Cairano; Alexander Schperberg; Abraham P. Vinod; Yebin Wang; Avishai Weiss
Research Areas: Control, Dynamical Systems, OptimizationBrief- MERL researchers contributed six papers to the 23rd IFAC World Congress 2026, held August 23–28 in Busan, South Korea. The IFAC World Congress, held every three years, brings together the international control community to share advances in control theory and applications.
The papers covered a range of topics in spacecraft control, autonomous robotics, and precision motion control:
- Coordinated aerial inspection of infrastructure with heterogeneous drones, using drones with complementary sensing capabilities. MERL also released an open-source ROS 2 implementation accompanying the work.
- Geostationary satellite control using averaged dynamics, with the goal of extending the time between east–west station-keeping maneuvers.
- Scenario-based model predictive control for spacecraft station keeping on a near-rectilinear halo orbit.
- Parameter estimation for induction machines, enabling torque-bound construction for trajectory planning and control in precision positioning systems.
- Feedforward control with dual neural networks, improving motion tracking when load-side position measurements are only partially available.
- Constrained sampling-based model predictive control for contact-rich robotics, combining sampling-based exploration with gradient-based refinement for safe and precise robot motion.
In addition to the paper presentations, MERL researcher Abraham Vinod delivered an invited talk at the workshop “Trustworthy Data-Driven Control: From Finite Samples to Robust Guarantees.” His talk discussed data-driven environmental monitoring and decision-making under uncertainty.
- MERL researchers contributed six papers to the 23rd IFAC World Congress 2026, held August 23–28 in Busan, South Korea. The IFAC World Congress, held every three years, brings together the international control community to share advances in control theory and applications.
See All News & Events for Avishai -
-
Internships with Avishai
See All Internships at MERL -
MERL Publications
- , "Scenario-Based Model Predictive Control for Station Keeping on Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit", World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), August 2026.BibTeX
- @inproceedings{Shimane2026aug,
- author = {{Shimane, Yuri and Isaji, Masafumi and Weiss, Avishai and Di Cairano, Stefano}},
- title = {{Scenario-Based Model Predictive Control for Station Keeping on Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit}},
- booktitle = {World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC)},
- year = 2026,
- month = aug
- }
- , "Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for High-Thrust Geostationary Station Keeping using Averaged Dynamics", World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), August 2026.BibTeX TR2026-117 PDF
- @inproceedings{Pavlasek2026aug,
- author = {Pavlasek, Natalia and Acikmese, Behcet and {Di Cairano}, Stefano and Weiss, Avishai},
- title = {{Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for High-Thrust Geostationary Station Keeping using Averaged Dynamics}},
- booktitle = {World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC)},
- year = 2026,
- month = aug,
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2026-117}
- }
- , "A Comparative Study of MINLP and MPVC Formulations for Solving Complex Nonlinear Decision-Making Problems in Aerospace Applications", Optimal Control Applications and Methods, DOI: 10.1002/oca.70033, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 4-23, February 2026.BibTeX TR2026-024 PDF
- @article{Ghezzi2026feb,
- author = {Ghezzi, Andrea and Nurkanović, Armin and Weiss, Avishai and Diehl, Moritz and {Di Cairano}, Stefano},
- title = {{A Comparative Study of MINLP and MPVC Formulations for Solving Complex Nonlinear Decision-Making Problems in Aerospace Applications}},
- journal = {Optimal Control Applications and Methods},
- year = 2026,
- volume = 47,
- number = 1,
- pages = {4--23},
- month = feb,
- doi = {10.1002/oca.70033},
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2026-024}
- }
- , "Robust Optimal Control for Autonomous Precision Landing via Set-based Dynamic Programming", AIAA SciTech Forum, DOI: 10.2514/6.2026-0970, January 2026, pp. 2026-0970.BibTeX TR2026-015 PDF
- @inproceedings{Kamath2026jan,
- author = {Kamath, Abhinav and Vinod, Abraham P. and Elango, Purnanand and {Di Cairano}, Stefano and Weiss, Avishai},
- title = {{Robust Optimal Control for Autonomous Precision Landing via Set-based Dynamic Programming}},
- booktitle = {AIAA SciTech 2026 Forum},
- year = 2026,
- pages = {2026--0970},
- month = jan,
- publisher = {AIAA},
- doi = {10.2514/6.2026-0970},
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2026-015}
- }
- , "Powered Descent Decision Making: A Reachability-Steering Approach", AIAA SciTech Forum, DOI: 10.2514/6.2026-0328, January 2026.BibTeX TR2026-014 PDF
- @inproceedings{Kento2026jan,
- author = {{Tomita, Kento and Elango, Purnanand and Vinod, Abraham P. and Di Cairano, Stefano and Weiss, Avishai}},
- title = {{Powered Descent Decision Making: A Reachability-Steering Approach}},
- booktitle = {AIAA SciTech Forum},
- year = 2026,
- month = jan,
- publisher = {AIAA},
- doi = {10.2514/6.2026-0328},
- url = {https://www.merl.com/publications/TR2026-014}
- }
- , "Scenario-Based Model Predictive Control for Station Keeping on Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit", World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), August 2026.
-
Other Publications
- , "Spacecraft Constrained Maneuver Planning for Moving Debris Avoidance Using Positively Invariant Constraint Admissible Sets", Proceedings of the American Control Conference, June 2013.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{weissDebris2013,
- author = {Weiss, A. and Baldwin, M. and Petersen, C. and Erwin, R. S. and Kolmanovsky, I.},
- title = {Spacecraft Constrained Maneuver Planning for Moving Debris Avoidance Using Positively Invariant Constraint Admissible Sets},
- booktitle = {Proceedings of the American Control Conference},
- year = 2013,
- address = {Washington, DC},
- month = jun
- }
- , "Inertia-Free Spacecraft Attitude Control Using Reaction Wheels", Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 1425-1439, 2013.BibTeX
- @Article{Weiss2013,
- author = {Weiss, Avishai and Kolmanovsky, Ilya and Bernstein, Dennis S. and Sanyal, Amit},
- title = {Inertia-Free Spacecraft Attitude Control Using Reaction Wheels},
- journal = {Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics},
- year = 2013,
- volume = 36,
- number = 5,
- pages = {1425--1439},
- publisher = {American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics}
- }
- , "Forward-Integration Riccati-Based Feedback Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous Maneuvers on Elliptic Orbits", Proc. Conf. Dec. Contr, December 2012, pp. 1752 - 1757.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{forriccdc,
- author = {Weiss, Avishai and Kolmanovsky, Ilya and Baldwin, Morgan and Erwin, R. Scott and Bernstein, Dennis S.},
- title = {Forward-Integration {Riccati}-Based Feedback Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous Maneuvers on Elliptic Orbits},
- booktitle = {Proc. Conf. Dec. Contr},
- year = 2012,
- pages = {1752 -- 1757},
- address = {Maui, HI},
- month = dec
- }
- , "Inertia-Free Attitude Control Laws Based on Rotation Matrices for Spacecraft with Torquers, Thrusters, and Wheels", Proc. Itzhack Y. Bar-Itzhack Memorial Symposium on Estimation, Navigation, and Spacecraft Control, October 2012, pp. 322-391.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{Weiss2012,
- author = {Weiss, A. and Cruz, G. and Agarwal, K. and Rahman, Y. and Medikeri, M. and Xie, A. and Camblor, M. and Kolmanovsky, I. and Bernstein, D. S.},
- title = {Inertia-Free Attitude Control Laws Based on Rotation Matrices for Spacecraft with Torquers, Thrusters, and Wheels},
- booktitle = {Proc. Itzhack Y. Bar-Itzhack Memorial Symposium on Estimation, Navigation, and Spacecraft Control},
- year = 2012,
- pages = {322--391},
- address = {Haifa, Israel},
- month = oct
- }
- , "Spacecraft Constrained Maneuver Planning using Positively Invariant Constraint Admissible Sets", Proc. Itzhack Y. Bar-Itzhack Memorial Symposium on Estimation, Navigation, and Spacecraft Control, October 2012.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{ref:debrisBarSym,
- author = {Weiss, A. and Baldwin, M. and Erwin, R. S. and Kolmanovsky, I.},
- title = {Spacecraft Constrained Maneuver Planning using Positively Invariant Constraint Admissible Sets},
- booktitle = {Proc. Itzhack Y. Bar-Itzhack Memorial Symposium on Estimation, Navigation, and Spacecraft Control},
- year = 2012,
- address = {Haifa, Israel},
- month = oct
- }
- , "Reaction Wheel Parameter Identification and Control through Receding Horizon-Based Null Motion Excitation", Proc. Itzhack Y. Bar-Itzhack Memorial Symposium on Estimation, Navigation, and Spacecraft Control, October 2012.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{weissreaction,
- author = {Weiss, Avishai and Leve, Frederick and Kolmanovsky, Ilya and Jah, Moriba},
- title = {Reaction Wheel Parameter Identification and Control through Receding Horizon-Based Null Motion Excitation},
- booktitle = {Proc. Itzhack Y. Bar-Itzhack Memorial Symposium on Estimation, Navigation, and Spacecraft Control},
- year = 2012,
- address = {Haifa, Israel},
- month = oct
- }
- , "Inertia-Free Spacecraft Attitude Control with Control-Moment-Gyro Actuation", Proc. AIAA Guid. Nav. Contr. Conf., August 2012, pp. AIAA-2012-5003-282.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{CMGGNC2012,
- author = {Agarwal, K. and Weiss, A. and Kolmanovsky, I. and Bernstein, D. S.},
- title = {Inertia-Free Spacecraft Attitude Control with Control-Moment-Gyro Actuation},
- booktitle = {Proc. AIAA Guid. Nav. Contr. Conf.},
- year = 2012,
- pages = {AIAA--2012--5003--282},
- address = {Minneapolis, MN},
- month = aug,
- note = {AIAA-2012-5003-282}
- }
- , "Model Predictive Control of Three Dimensional Spacecraft Relative Motion", Proceedings of the American Control Conference, June 2012, pp. 173-178.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{weisserwin,
- author = {Weiss, A. and Kolmanovsky, I. and Baldwin, M. and Erwin, R. S.},
- title = {Model Predictive Control of Three Dimensional Spacecraft Relative Motion},
- booktitle = {Proceedings of the American Control Conference},
- year = 2012,
- pages = {173--178},
- address = {Montreal, Canada},
- month = jun
- }
- , "Forward-Integration Riccati-Based Output-Feedback Control of Linear Time-Varying Systems", Proc. Amer. Conf. Contr, June 2012, pp. 6708-6714.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{weisskolmbern,
- author = {Weiss, A. and Kolmanovsky, I. and Bernstein, D. S.},
- title = {Forward-Integration {Riccati}-Based Output-Feedback Control of Linear Time-Varying Systems},
- booktitle = {Proc. Amer. Conf. Contr},
- year = 2012,
- pages = {6708--6714},
- address = {Montreal, Canada},
- month = jun
- }
- , "Forward-Integration Riccati-Based Feedback Control of Magnetically Actuated Spacecraft", AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, 2012, pp. AIAA-2012-5042-137.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{firmag,
- author = {Weiss, Avishai and Kolmanovsky, Ilya and Bernstein, Dennis S.},
- title = {Forward-Integration {Riccati}-Based Feedback Control of Magnetically Actuated Spacecraft},
- booktitle = {AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference},
- year = 2012,
- pages = {AIAA--2012--5042--137}
- }
- , "Spacecraft Debris Avoidance using Positively Invariant Constraint Admissible Sets", Proceedings of AAS Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, 2012, pp. Paper AAS 12-250.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{ref:baldwin,
- author = {Baldwin, M. and Weiss, A. and Kolmanovsky, I. and Erwin, R. S.},
- title = {Spacecraft Debris Avoidance using Positively Invariant Constraint Admissible Sets},
- booktitle = {Proceedings of AAS Space Flight Mechanics Meeting},
- year = 2012,
- pages = {Paper AAS 12--250},
- address = {Charleston, South Carolina}
- }
- , "Inertia-Free Attitude Control of Spacecraft with Unknown Time-Varying Mass Distribution", Proc. 62nd IAC, October 2011, pp. IAC-11-C1.5.9.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{AviTVinertiaIAC2011,
- author = {Weiss, A. and Kolmanovsky, I. and Bernstein, D. S.},
- title = {Inertia-Free Attitude Control of Spacecraft with Unknown Time-Varying Mass Distribution},
- booktitle = {Proc. 62nd IAC},
- year = 2011,
- pages = {IAC--11--C1.5.9},
- address = {Cape Town, South Africa},
- month = oct,
- note = {IAC-11-C1.5.9}
- }
- , "Torque-saturated, inertia-free spacecraft attitude control", AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, 2011, pp. AIAA-2011-6507-816.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{cruz2011torque,
- author = {Cruz, Gerardo and Yang, Xuebo and Weiss, Avishai and Kolmanovsky, Ilya and Bernstein, Dennis S.},
- title = {Torque-saturated, inertia-free spacecraft attitude control},
- booktitle = {AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference},
- year = 2011,
- pages = {AIAA--2011--6507--816}
- }
- , "Incorporating Risk into Control Design for Emergency Operation of Turbo-Fan Engines", Proc. AIAA Infotech@Aerospace, 2011, pp. AIAA-2011-1591.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{weiss2011incorporating,
- author = {Weiss, Avishai and Kolmanovsky, Ilya and Merrill, Walter},
- title = {Incorporating Risk into Control Design for Emergency Operation of Turbo-Fan Engines},
- booktitle = {Proc. AIAA Infotech@Aerospace},
- year = 2011,
- pages = {AIAA--2011--1591}
- }
- , "Inertia-Free Spacecraft Attitude Control with Reaction-Wheel Actuation", AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, 2010, pp. AIAA-2010-8297.BibTeX
- @Inproceedings{weiss,
- author = {Weiss, A. and Yang, X. and Kolmanovsky, I. and Bernstein, D. S.},
- title = {Inertia-Free Spacecraft Attitude Control with Reaction-Wheel Actuation},
- booktitle = {AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference},
- year = 2010,
- pages = {AIAA--2010--8297}
- }
- , "Spacecraft Constrained Maneuver Planning for Moving Debris Avoidance Using Positively Invariant Constraint Admissible Sets", Proceedings of the American Control Conference, June 2013.
-
Videos
-
MERL Issued Patents
-
Title: "System and Method Suitable for Controlling Operations of a Spacecraft"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Puthuvana Vinod, Abraham; Elango, Purnanand; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 12,715,619
Issue Date: Aug 25, 2026 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Motion of an Ego Vehicle"
Inventors: Di Cairano, Stefano; Skibik, Terrence; Puthuvana Vinod, Abraham; Weiss, Avishai
Patent No.: 12,583,467
Issue Date: Mar 24, 2026 -
Title: "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DECISION MAKING FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES"
Inventors: Di Cairano, Stefano; Puthuvana Vinod, Abraham; Skibik, Terrence; Weiss, Avishai; Berntorp, Karl
Patent No.: 12,472,981
Issue Date: Nov 18, 2025 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling a Motion of a Spacecraft in a Multi-Object Celestial System"
Inventors: Puthuvana Vinod, Abraham; Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 12,312,102
Issue Date: May 27, 2025 -
Title: "Eigenmotion Control for Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Elango, Purnanand; Di Cairano, Stefano; Kalabic, Uros
Patent No.: 12,286,241
Issue Date: Apr 29, 2025 -
Title: "Fail-Safe Vehicle Rendezvous in Case of Total Control Failure"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Marsillach, Daniel Aguilar; Di Cairano, Stefano; Kalabic, Uros
Patent No.: 11,987,396
Issue Date: May 21, 2024 -
Title: "System for Distributed Verification of Satellite Position"
Inventors: Kalabic, Uros; Chiu, Tsz-Chun Michael; Weiss, Avishai
Patent No.: 11,885,888
Issue Date: Jan 30, 2024 -
Title: "Drift-Based Rendezvous Control"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Marsillach, Daniel Aguilar; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 11,834,203
Issue Date: Dec 5, 2023 -
Title: "Abort-Safe Vehicle Rendezvous in Case of Partial Control Failure"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano; Marsillach, Daniel Aguilar; Kalabic, Uros
Patent No.: 11,807,404
Issue Date: Nov 7, 2023 -
Title: "System and Method of Tracking a Spacecraft Trajectory for Orbital Transfer"
Inventors: Grover, Piyush; Kalabic, Uros; Weiss, Avishai
Patent No.: 11,787,569
Issue Date: Oct 17, 2023 -
Title: "Tracking Neighboring Quasi-Satellite Orbits Around Mars's Moon Phobos"
Inventors: Kalabic, Uros; Muralidharan, Vivek; Weiss, Avishai
Patent No.: 11,691,765
Issue Date: Jul 4, 2023 -
Title: "Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of Coupled Celestial System"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano; Malladi, BharaniPrabha
Patent No.: 11,292,618
Issue Date: Apr 5, 2022 -
Title: "On-Orbit Additive Manufacturing of Parabolic Reflectors via Solar Photopolymerization"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Yerazunis, William S.; Cottrell, Richard
Patent No.: 11,155,723
Issue Date: Oct 26, 2021 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Motion of Vehicle with Variable Speed"
Inventors: Berntorp, Karl; Danielson, Claus; Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 11,091,158
Issue Date: Aug 17, 2021 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Lateral Motion of Vehicle"
Inventors: Berntorp, Karl; Weiss, Avishai; Danielson, Claus; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 10,994,729
Issue Date: May 4, 2021 -
Title: "System and Method for GNSS Ambiguity Resolution"
Inventors: Berntorp, Karl; Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 10,976,444
Issue Date: Apr 13, 2021 -
Title: "MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF SPACECRAFT"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Zlotnik, David; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 10,967,991
Issue Date: Apr 6, 2021 -
Title: "Model Predictive Control of Spacecraft"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano; Caverly, Ryan
Patent No.: 10,934,025
Issue Date: Mar 2, 2021 -
Title: "Systems and Methods for On-Orbit Fabrication of Structures by 3D Printing"
Inventors: Yerazunis, William S.; Weiss, Avishai; Wang, Bingnan
Patent No.: 10,906,290
Issue Date: Feb 2, 2021 -
Title: "Loose Optical Fiber Tethering Of Multiple Satellites"
Inventors: Parsons, Kieran; Weiss, Avishai; Orlik, Philip V.; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 10,892,826
Issue Date: Jan 12, 2021 -
Title: "MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF SPACECRAFT"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Zlotnik, David; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 10,875,669
Issue Date: Dec 29, 2020 -
Title: "Concurrent Station Keeping, Attitude Control, and Momentum Management of Spacecraft"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano; Walsh, Alex
Patent No.: 10,180,686
Issue Date: Jan 15, 2019 -
Title: "Methods and Systems for Path Planning Using a Network of Safe-Sets"
Inventors: Danielson, Claus; Weiss, Avishai; Berntorp, Karl; Di Cairano, Stefano
Patent No.: 10,012,988
Issue Date: Jul 3, 2018 -
Title: "System and Method for Controlling Vehicle using Neural Network"
Inventors: Berntorp, Karl; Liu, Ming-Yu; Weiss, Avishai
Patent No.: 9,989,964
Issue Date: Jun 5, 2018 -
Title: "Model Predictive Control with Uncertainties"
Inventors: Di Cairano, Stefano; Weiss, Avishai
Patent No.: 9,983,554
Issue Date: May 29, 2018 -
Title: "Model Predictive Control of Spacecraft"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano; Kalabic, Uros
Patent No.: 9,874,879
Issue Date: Jan 23, 2018 -
Title: "Model Predictive Control of Spacecraft"
Inventors: Weiss, Avishai; Di Cairano, Stefano; Kalabic, Uros
Patent No.: 9,764,858
Issue Date: Sep 19, 2017
-
Title: "System and Method Suitable for Controlling Operations of a Spacecraft"