Karolos Grigoriadis, Ph.D.     
Director, Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA);  
Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Houston

Karolos Grigoriadis, Ph.D., is director of the Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA), Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor, and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Houston. He also directs the Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program and is founding director of the UH NASA MIRO Inflatable Deployable Environments and Adaptive Space Systems (IDEAS²) Center. His research centers on the modeling, analysis, control, and optimization of complex mechanical and aerospace systems, with expertise in robust and nonlinear control, estimation, and integrated system design. His work addresses how engineered systems can operate reliably under uncertainty and changing conditions. Established in 2024 through a nearly $5 million NASA award, IDEAS² advances inflatable and deployable structures, smart materials, soft robotics, and adaptive space systems for exploration of the Moon and Mars. The closer alignment of SICSA and IDEAS² is helping bridge space architecture and human-centered design with advanced engineering research and technology development, while preparing students with the interdisciplinary skills needed for the future space workforce. Dr. Grigoriadis earned his Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University and joined UH in 1994. He has authored or co-authored more than 400 refereed journal and conference publications and three research monographs: Efficient Modeling and Control of Large-Scale Systems (Springer-Verlag, 2010), Actuator Saturation Control (Marcel Dekker, 2003), and A Unified Algebraic Approach to Linear Control Design (Taylor & Francis, 1998). He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and has received numerous honors for his research and teaching. At SICSA, he seeks to strengthen opportunities for students to engage in interdisciplinary research and collaborate with NASA and the space industry while developing the skills to contribute effectively across disciplinary boundaries.