Events

SPEAKER: Dr David Reinecke Dr Reinecke completed his BEng and BEng Honours in Mechanical Engineering, a Masters in Engineering Management at the University of Pretoria and his PhD in mechanical engineering at Cranfield University (Defence Academy) in the UK. Some of his achievements include assembling the first Rolls Royce E4B gearbox manufactured in South Africa […]

The Girls in Control Workshop is an inspiring initiative originally launched by the International Federation for Automation and Control (IFAC) and proudly hosted across South Africa by the South African Council for Automation and Control (SACAC). Aimed at girls aged 14 to 15, the workshop seeks to ignite a passion for control engineering and encourage […]

The Control Systems Day is a student symposium organised by the South African Council for Automation and Control, providing post-graduate students the opportunity to showcase their research in control engineering and related fields. The event will be held synchronously at the University of Cape Town and the University of the Witwatersrand, with streaming between the two events. […]

Venue: University of Pretoria Abstract: Living cells are dynamic, adaptive systems — rich in feedback, noise, and nonlinear behavior. Opto-cybergenetics is an emerging discipline that merges control theory, synthetic biology, and optogenetics to bring such systems under real-time feedback control. By coupling cells to computers through light-based signaling, we can now measure and modulate gene expression dynamically, enabling precise and […]

Abstract: Biological systems achieve remarkable robustness: cells maintain homeostasis and adapt precisely to environmental changes despite stochasticity, delays, and parametric uncertainty. How do they accomplish this, and how can we replicate such capabilities in synthetic systems? In this lecture, I will present a theoretical framework for robust perfect adaptation (RPA) in biomolecular networks, revealing deep […]

Venue: University of Cape Town Abstract: The ability to program living cells with designed feedback circuits is transforming biotechnology and medicine. Cybergenetics unites control theory and synthetic biology to endow cells with regulatory functions once limited to engineered systems. In this lecture, I will describe how theoretical insights into feedback and adaptation are being translated into the design and […]

NOTICE OF THE 2026 SACAC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING SACAC cordially invites all Members and Friends to attend the 65th SACAC AGM Date: Friday, 13th of February 2026 Time: 09h00 - 12h00 Venue: 54 Bath Ave, Rosebank, Johannesburg, 2196 Guest Speaker: Prof Frank Zhu Mathematical Decomposition for Integrated Planning, Operation and Control Optimization (Click here for […]

Beyond The PID Loop: My Real-World Journey of Advanced Control and AI in Industrial Automation