We caught up with the new chair of Automatic Control at LTU, Dina Shona Liala, to hear more about her vision for the future.

Hello Dina Shona Laila! How does it feel to come to Sweden and Luleå tekniska universitet working with Automatic Control?
– It feels great to be working with something I love! I have a lot of possibilities here at LTU and I have the opportunity to build my own team, which is both challenging and exciting.

❓ What would you say the possibilities are for Automatic Control?
– The original Control Engineering group has been split into two groups, the Automatic Control group and the Robotics and AI group. Now we need to redefine our remit in the Automatic Control group, to distinguish it from the Robotics and AI group, while keeping the collaboration that we have. I can choose new talents for our team and build a whole new group with other types of backgrounds that will complement the rest of us. 

❓ I see! Where is your focus now? 
– We are still working with control but moving more towards control and instrumentation. We used to focus only on the software and methods, but we needed to have a wider perspective. We would like to expand the research activities beyond system modeling and control analysis & design, to include sensing for monitoring, prediction, and embedded system development.

❓ Sound interesting. Where do you see your research in the future?
– We are expanding our research into new fields of applications, from mainly control and modeling for “heavy industries” to food and agriculture technologies, health and well-being technologies, and infrastructure. We are open and looking forward to collaborations in these areas.

❓ How come you see these as interesting fields?
– These dynamic fields are constantly evolving and adapting, making it stimulating to work in such fast-paced environments. By gaining a deep understanding of the challenges they face, we can actively contribute to innovative solutions. Furthermore, these fields offer the advantage of providing a front-row seat to observe and track progress, a contrast to the slower evolution and longer lifespan of heavy industries. 

❓ You have a lot of interesting work ahead of you Dina, thank you so much for your time! 
– Yes, it’s been great talking to you! I just want to add that I see a lot of potential in our work, and I believe that even through small actions we can make a significant impact.