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Richard M. Murray Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control & Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering California Institute of Technology Papers Research Group Teaching Contact

Quick Links: Feedback Systems python-control SynCell wiki

Note: I am currently sabbatical through Dec 2026, and I am not starting any new students or postdocs in my group nor hosting visitors or SURF students during this time. If you are interested in the work we are doing in my group, I encourage you to take a look at some of my collaborators at Caltech.

Research

My group's research is in the application of feedback and control to networked systems, with applications in biology and autonomy. Current projects include design and implementation of synthetic cells and verification and testing of safety-critical systems (see my research overview for more details).

Preprint archive Caltech theses Google Scholar

Active projects:

• Developer Cell: A modular, extensible chassis for building synthetic cells (Alfred P. Sloan Foundation)
• Design and Implementation of Multi-Component Synthetic Cells (ARO/ICB)
• Center for Harnessing Microbiota from Military Environments (CHARMME) (ARO)
• Layered T&E for Safety-Critical Autonomous Systems (AFOSR)
• Rules of Composition in Synthetic Biology Across Scales of Complexity: Theory and Tools (AFOSR)

[Archive]

Group

Sal Ibarra* (BE) Leo Li* (CNS)

Nikos Mynhier* (BE) Miki Yun# (EAS)

Han Zhang* (BE)

* co-advised students

+ visiting researchers

° rotation students

† undergraduates

# research staff

Former graduate students:

• Zach Martinez* - PhD in Bioengineering, May 2026
• Matthieu Kratz - PhD in Bioengineering, Oct 2025

Ania Baetica (thesis) Julia Badger (Braman) (thesis) Apurva Badithela (thesis) Dionysios Barmpoutis (thesis) Robert Behnken (thesis) Robert Bodenheimer Francesco Bullo (thesis) Karena Cai (thesis) John Carson (thesis) Andrea Censi (thesis) Richard Cheng* (thesis) Samuel Clamons (thesis) Benson Christalin# Tim Chung* Lars Cremean (thesis) Nadine Dabby* Raff D'Andrea* Sumanth Dathathri (thesis) Samantha (Feakins) Daly# Emzo de los Santos (thesis) Domitilla Del Vecchio (thesis) Mary Dunlop (thesis) William Dunbar (thesis) Michael Epstein (thesis) Alex Fax (thesis) Ioannis Filippidis (thesis) Anthony Fragoso (thesis) Sawyer Fuller Melvin Flores (thesis) Elisa Franco (thesis) Jimmy Fung (thesis)

Marcella Gomez (thesis) Martha Grover (Gallivan) (thesis) Shaobin Guo (thesis) Vijay Gupta (thesis) Sonja Glavaski* Josefine Graebener (thesis) Shuo Han (thesis) Adam Hayes* Sean Humbert (thesis) Victoria Hsiao (thesis) Ali Jadbabaie* (thesis) Zhipu Jin (thesis) Vanessa Jonsson (thesis) Zoila Jurado (thesis) Manisha Kapasiawala (thesis) Scott Kelly (thesis) Dmitriy Kogan# Elin Larsson (thesis) Javad Lavaei* (thesis) Andrew Lewis (thesis) Scott Livingston (thesis) Ioannis Mandralis (thesis) John Marken (thesis) Reed McCardell (thesis) Robert M'Closkey (thesis) Joseph Meyerowitz (thesis) Mark Milam (thesis) Blade Olson Ayush Pandey (thesis) Ivan Papusha (thesis) James Parkin (thesis)

Tung Phan (thesis) William Poole (thesis) Muruhan Rathinam (thesis) Xinying (Cindy) Ren (thesis) Clancy Rowley* Ben Shapiro (thesis) Ling Shi (thesis) Andrey Shur (thesis) Vipul Singhal (thesis) Demetri Spanos (thesis) Zachary Sun (thesis) Sudipto Sur (thesis) Anandh Swaminathan (thesis) Anu Thubagere* (thesis) Amber Thweatt# Jorge Tierno* Abhishek Tiwari (thesis) Pete Trautman (thesis) Stephanie Tsuei# David van Gogh# Tony Vanelli# (thesis) Ophelia Venturelli (thesis) Yong Wang (thesis) Steve Waydo* (thesis) Rory Williams (thesis) Eric Wolff (thesis) Nok Wongpiromsarn (thesis) Yong Wu (thesis) Huan (Mumu) Xu (thesis) Enoch Yeung (thesis) Simon Yeung (thesis)

# Masters or Engineers degree    * Co-advised student

Former postdocs:

• Kazu Echigo (2025) - CMS Postdoctoral Fellow
• Yan Zhang (2022-24) - Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow

Raktim Bhattacharya (2002-04) Brianno Coller (1995-97) Ersin Das (2021-22) Noel du Toit (2011) Chuchu Fan (2019-20) Samira Farahani (2014-15) David Garcia (2020-21) Jin Ge (2016-18) Leopold Green (2018-21) Sofie Haesaert (2016-18) Yutaka Hori (2013-16) Chelsea Hu (2018-22) Tamer Inanc (2002-04)

Inigo Incer (2022-24) Jongmin Kim (2010-14) Eric Klavins* (2001-03) Feng-Li Lian (2001-02) Jun Liu (2011-2012) Michaelle Mayalu (2017-22) Catherine McGhan (2014-16) John McManus* (2018-19) Yilin Mo (2013-15) Kristi Morgansen (1999-2001) Pascal Morin (1996-97) Yasamin Mostofi (2004-06) Reza Olfati-Saber (2001-04)

Yizhar Or (2007-09) Necmiye Ozay (2010-13) Pavithra Prabhakar (2011-12) Nicolas Petit (2001-02) Vasu Raman (2013-15) Henrik Sandberg (2005-07) Shaunak Sen (2011-12) B. N. Shashikanth* (1998-2000) Dan Siegal (2012-15) Andrew Straw* (2010) Willem Sluis (1994-96) Herbert Streumper (1997-99) Ufuk Topcu (2008-12)

Additional group alumni:   SURF    Undergrads    Visitors

Teaching

The list below is the courses that I have taught at Caltech (or at least most of them). The course links will take you to the (current) course homepage, where you can find the syllabus, handouts, and homework sets. The links for specific terms take you to the course homepage for that term. Links to older courses are available on a separate page.

• ACM/EE 116 - Probability and Random Processes (Fa11)
• BE 107 - Exploring Biological Principles Through Bio-Inspired Design (Sp15, Sp16, Sp19)
• BE 150/Bi 250b - Systems Biology (Wi11, Wi12, Wi13, Sp14)
• BE/EE/MedE 189a - Design and Construction of Biodevices (Fa24)
• Bi/BE/CS 183 - Introduction to Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (Wi24)
• CS/EE/ME 75 - Introduction to Multi-Disciplinary Systems Engineering (04-05, 06-07, 10-11, 15-16)
• CDS 90 - Senior Thesis in Control and Dynamical Systems (2004-2014, 2020-2024)
• CDS 101/110 - Analysis and Design of Feedback Systems (Fa97, Fa01, Fa02, Fa03, Fa04, Fa06, Fa07, Fa08, Fa12, Fa15, Sp24)
• CDS 112 - Optimization-Based Control (Wi98, Wi02, Wi03, Wi04, Wi06, Wi07, Wi08, Wi22, Wi23)
• CDS 131 - Linear Systems Theory (Fa18, Fa19, Fa20)
• CDS 140 - Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems (Wi11, Wi13, Wi14, Wi15)
• CDS 240 - Nonlinear Dynamical Systems (Sp14, Sp16)
• CDS 202 - Geometry of Nonlinear Systems (Wi93, Wi94, Wi04, Wi09, Sp13)
• CS 142 - Distributed Computing (Fa17, Fa19)
• CS 143 - Communication Networks (Fa18)
• CMS 273 - Frontiers in Computing and Mathematical Sciences (Wi19, Wi20, Wi21)
• E/SEC 103 - Management of Technology (Sp20, Sp23, Wi24, Wi25)
• Older courses (not taught in the last 15 years)
• Guest lectures - some individual lectures I have given in various courses

Contact

Mailing Address Richard M. Murray Control and Dynamical Systems 107-81 California Institute of Technology 1200 E. California Blvd Pasadena, CA 91125 USA	Contact information E-mail: murray@cds.caltech.edu Office: 109 Steele Lab, (626) 395-6460 Asst: Nuvia Alvarez, x2464 Labs: 108, 116, 136 Keck
Other links Caltech Engineering and Applied Science Computing and Mathematical Sciences	Bioengineering Control and Dynamical Systems LinkedIn