He received a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2013, and a Diplom degree in Engineering Cybernetics from the University of Stuttgart in 2008. His primary research interests are centered around distributed control, complex networks, and cyber-physical systems with applications to smart power grids and robotic coordination. He is recipient of the 2009 UC Regents Special International Fellowship, the 2011 Peter J. Frenkel Foundation Fellowship, the 2010 ACC Student Best Paper Award, and the 2011 O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award. As a co-advisor and a co-author, he has been a finalist for the ECC 2013 Best Student Paper Award.