Distributed and learning-based model predictive control

Doctoral Thesis (2026)
Author(s)

S.H. Mallick (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

Contributor(s)

B. De Schutter – Promotor (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

A. Dabiri – Copromotor (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)

Research Group
Team Bart De Schutter
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.4233/uuid:c45cf6be-2139-4506-9a6d-3b7aba59723d Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Defense Date
22-09-2026
Awarding Institution
Delft University of Technology
Research Group
Team Bart De Schutter
ISBN (print)
978-94-6384-984-5
Downloads counter
15
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Abstract

This dissertation advances Model Predictive Control (MPC) by addressing two major challenges: computational complexity and model uncertainty. The research focuses on distributed control and learning-based approaches to facilitate MPC for hybrid systems, large-scale networks, and systems with limited model knowledge.

To reduce computational burden, new distributed MPC methods for piecewise affine systems are developed, providing efficient convex optimisation-based solutions with guarantees on consistency and feasibility. Learning-based policies are also integrated with MPC, shifting computationally intensive tasks offline and enabling efficient control of hybrid systems and autonomous vehicles.

To address uncertainty, reinforcement learning (RL) is combined with MPC to learn uncertain controller components from data. Novel distributed MPC-RL frameworks are proposed for networked systems. Furthermore, centralised MPC-RL controllers are proposed for applications such as greenhouse climate control and energy systems. The results demonstrate that distributed and learning-based MPC can significantly improve scalability, efficiency, and performance in complex real-world control problems.

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