Major Awards

Giorgio Quazza Medal

The Giorgio Quazza medal recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions of a researcher and/or engineer to conceptual foundations in the field of systems and control.This IFAC award, created in 1979,  is a memorial to the late Giorgio Quazza, a leading Italian electrical and control engineer who served IFAC in many capacities in a most distinguished manner. The medal is presented by the President at each IFAC Triennial Congress at the Opening Ceremony. A prize is presented to the recipient together with the medal.

For the 2023 - 2026 triennial period, the Quazza Medal Selection Committee has the following composition:
Tamer Başar (Chair)
Members: Brian Anderson, Alberto Isidori, Francoise Lamnabhi-Lagarrigue, Lennart Ljung, Stephen Morse, Kristin Y. Pettersen.

Nathaniel B. Nichols Medal

The Nichols Medal, created in 1996, recognizes outstanding contributions of an individual to design methods, software tools and instrumentation, or to significant projects resulting in major applications and advancement of control engineering. The spirit is captured by the name of Nathaniel Nichols, one of the pioneers of control engineering. The medal is awarded by the IFAC Council on the recommendation of a selection committee. A monetary prize is presented at the IFAC World Congress to the recipient together with the medal.

For the 2023 - 2026 triennial period, the Nichols Medal Selection Committee has the following composition:
Masayoshi Tomizuka (Chair)
Members: Sandra Hirche, Jun-Ichi Imura, Lennart Ljung, Hyoun Jin Kim, Reza Moheimani, Lucy Pao.

Manfred Thoma Medal

The Manfred Thoma medal, created in 2015, recognizes outstanding contributions of a young researcher and/or engineer under the age of 40 to the field of systems and control in its widest sense. It is named after Manfred M. Thoma, a leading contributor to the field of control and to IFAC, and supporter of the careers of many young scientists. The medal is awarded by the IFAC Council on the recommendation of a selection committee. A monetary prize is presented to the recipient together with the medal.

For the 2023 - 2026 triennial period, the Manfred Thoma Medal Selection Committee is composed as follows: Silviu Niculescu (Chair)
Members: Dennice Gayme, Aditya Mahajan, Kristin Y. Pettersen, Antonella Ferrara, Rodulphe Sepulchre, Yutaka Yamamoto.

Industrial Achievement Award

This is an IFAC award to an individual, or a team of individuals, who has made a significant contribution to industrial applications of control. The award is given in technical fields covered by IFAC. The selection is based on industrial achievements measured in terms of:

•     Inventions in the control area
•     Engineering significance of products and projects
•     Industrial leadership
•     Promotion of control technology in industry
•     Impact of patents
•     International recognition

For the 2023 - 2026 triennial period, the Industrial Achievement Award Selection Committee has the following composition:
Francesco Borrelli (Chair)
Members: Greg Stewart, Changliu Liu, Alessandra Parisio, Yeonsik Kang, Erik Weyer, Andrés Marcos.

High Impact Paper Award

This IFAC Award was introduced in 2009 and first awarded in 2011. It acknowledges the impact of a paper published in any of the official IFAC journals on the broad areas of Automatic Control theory and application. A monetary prize is presented to the recipient together with a plaque.

For the 2023 - 2026 triennial period, the High Impact Paper Award Selection Committee has the following composition:
Li-Chen Fu (Chair)
Members: Hideaki Ishii, Keum-Shik Hong, Maria Domenica Di Benedetto, Edwin Chong, Dawn Tilbury, Ji-Feng Zhang.