As of October 2024, Dr. Miguel Figueroa has assumed the position of head researcher of the Control and Automation research group, which he will lead together with Dr. Héctor Ramírez, current director of the Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineering, AC3E.

“It is a tremendous privilege to join a center of the excellence and trajectory of AC3E, so I receive it with great joy. At the same time, I am aware of the responsibility that it means, especially at the stage we are in, in the re-application process for the next 10-year period,” mentioned the researcher.

Dr. Figueroa has been working at AC3E since February of this year, when he joined as an associate researcher. He is an Electronic Civil Engineer from the University of Concepción and a Doctor of Informatics and Engineering from the University of Washington (USA). He has dedicated his research work to studying topics such as High-performance embedded systems, Reconfigurable computing, and VLSI.

For the researcher, this new challenge will allow the integration of new research groups in the area of microelectronics, IoT, and edge computing. “This group, created with a view to re-application, will be composed of a combination of existing capabilities in the center and new talents that will be incorporated. The challenge is to integrate the research of this group into the objectives of the center, enhancing various areas, such as control, instrumentation, and biomedical technologies,” said the researcher.

From the Control and Automation research group, great contributions can be made to the development of Chile. “The fields where I see that the area can contribute the most is to promote the growth of a smart industry in the country, through sensorization and the integration of local computing capabilities that allow to enhance the control of industrial processes and other types of infrastructure. The promotion of these technologies and collaboration with other areas are the main challenges of the new group,” highlighted the researcher.