Ph.D. Candidate · Purdue University

Kartik Anand
Pant

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University, advised by Dr. Inseok Hwang and Dr. James Goppert. My research focuses on designing resilient network and control for complex interconnected systems. To this end, I try to bridge the gap between complex and rigorous mathematical theories and their realization in practice, drawing ideas from Rigidity Theory, Lie Theory, Koopman Theory and Optimal Control, and apply them to robots — specifically, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) — to enhance their robustness, resiliency, and safety against unknown anomalies, disturbances and adversarial cyberattacks.

Previously, I was a Research Scientist at Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), ISRO, where I contributed to the development of control systems for Flex Nozzle Control (FNC) and Fin Tip Control (FTC) of the GSLV, GSLV Mk III, PSLV, and SSLV launch vehicles. Before that, I completed my B.Tech. in Electronics Engineering from IIT (BHU) Varanasi.

Most recently, I have been working on dynamics modeling, planning, and control of tethered-kite systems in collaboration with the Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA) on the Mothership Project. My focus is specifically on designing resilient planning and control frameworks for autonomous kites, with applications to Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) harvesting and Atmospheric Sensing.

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School of Aeronautics & Astronautics Purdue University 📍 West Lafayette, IN

News

  1. 2026 Started summer research residency at Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), Future Research Department, Ann Arbor, MI.
  2. 2026 Awarded the prestigeous Hugh W. and Edna M. Donnan Fellowship from the College of Engineering at Purdue University.
  3. 2026 Paper accepted at AWEC 2026, University of Porto, Portugal: "KITELab: A Low-cost Mobile Iron Bird for Test and Evaluation of Tethered-Kite Systems."
  4. 2026 Paper accepted at ICUAS 2026, Corfu, Greece: "Locally Optimal UAV Surveillance Evasion via Sampling and Nonlinear Programming."
  5. 2025 Paper accepted in IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology (IEEE-TCST): "Energy-Constrained Resilient Multi-Robot Coverage Control."
  6. 2025 Paper accepted at USENIX Security Symposium 2025: "Automated Discovery of Semantic Attacks in Multi-Robot Navigation Systems" (Acceptance rate: 17.1%).
  7. 2025 Started summer research internship at Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), Future Research Department, Ann Arbor, MI.
  8. 2025 Paper accepted/retracted at IROS 2025, Hangzhou, China: "SAFE-TAXI: A Hierarchical Multi-UAS Safe Auto-Taxiing Framework with Runtime Safety Assurance and Conflict Resolution."
  9. 2025 Paper published at ICCAS 2025, Incheon, South Korea: "A Surveillance Evasion Framework for Counter-UAS Missions: an Attacker-Centric Perspective."
  10. 2025 Paper published in IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS): "A Dynamically Weighted ADMM Framework for Byzantine Resilience."
  11. 2025 Paper published in IEEE Transactions on Control of Networked Systems (IEEE TCNS): "On Enhancing Structural Resilience of Multirobot Coverage Control with Bearing Rigidity."
  12. 2025 Paper published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (IEEE-RAL): "Physics-informed Anomaly Detection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles."
  13. 2025 Paper published in IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS): "A Closed-form Matrix Exponential for SEₙ(3) with Applications to Strapdown Inertial Navigation."
  14. 2024 Paper presented at IROS 2024, Abu Dhabi: "MIXED-SENSE: A mixed reality sensor emulation framework for UAV cybersecurity."
  15. 2024 Paper presented at ICAA 2024, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN: "Mixed-Reality Testbed for Autonomous Fixed-Wing UAVs Human-Autonomy Teaming."
  16. 2024 Paper published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L): "Range-based Multi-Robot Integrity Monitoring Against Cyberattacks and Faults: An Anchor-Free Approach."
  17. 2024 Paper published in IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS): "Adversarial Sensor Attacks Against Uncertain Cyber-Physical Systems: A Dynamic Output Feedback Approach."
  18. 2023 Started Ph.D. in the School of Aeronautics & Astronautics at Purdue University.
  19. 2023 Paper presented at the Workshop on Geometric Representations, IEEE ICRA 2023, London, UK: "Towards Robust State Estimation in Matrix Lie Groups."
  20. 2023 Paper presented at AIAA SciTech Forum 2023, National Harbor, MD: "An Open-Source Gazebo Plugin for GNSS Multipath Signal Emulation in Virtual Urban Canyons."
  21. 2023 Paper published in IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS): "Synthesis of Robust State Estimation Algorithms under Unknown Sensor Inputs."
  22. 2023 Started Master's in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering at Purdue University.

Publications

  1. 2026

    Approximate Log-linear Dynamics for Thrusting Spacecraft on SE₂(3) Submitted

    M. K. Condie, A. E. Woodbury, Li-Yu Lin, K. A. Pant, M. Walker, J. M. Goppert

    AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics (JGCD), 2026.

  2. 2026

    Energy-Constrained Resilient Multi-Robot Coverage Control Accepted

    K. A. Pant, J. Kim, J. M. Goppert, I. Hwang

    IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology (IEEE-TCST), 2025.

  3. 2025

    A Dynamically Weighted ADMM Framework for Byzantine Resilience

    V. Vijay, K. A. Pant, M. Cho, I. Hwang

    IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS), 2025.

    Paper
  4. 2025

    Physics-informed Anomaly Detection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

    Y. Guo, K. A. Pant, I. Hwang

    IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (IEEE-RAL), 2025.

    Paper
  5. 2026

    On Enhancing Structural Resilience of Multirobot Coverage Control with Bearing Rigidity

    K. A. Pant, V. Vijay, M. Cho, I. Hwang

    IEEE Transactions on Control of Networked Systems (IEEE TCNS), 2025.

    Paper
  6. 2025

    A Closed-form Matrix Exponential for SEₙ(3) with Applications to Strapdown Inertial Navigation

    L. Y. Lin, K. A. Pant, B. Perseghetti, J. M. Goppert

    IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS), 2025.

    Paper
  7. 2026

    Signal Temporal Logic Verification and Synthesis Using Deep Reachability Analysis and Layered Control Architecture Submitted

    J. Choi, K. A. Pant, Y. Nam, H. Hallman, R. K. Nune, I. Hwang

    International Conference on Neuro-Symbolic Systems (NeuS) 2026, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.

  8. 2026

    Locally Optimal UAV Surveillance Evasion via Sampling and Nonlinear Programming Accepted

    J. R. Kinerson, J. Kim, K. A. Pant, K. S. Sommer-Kohrt, J. M. Goppert, D. Sun

    International Conference on Unmanned Aerial Systems (ICUAS) 2026, Corfu, Greece.

  9. 2026

    KITELab: A Low-cost Mobile Iron Bird for Test and Evaluation of Tethered-Kite Systems Accepted

    K. A. Pant, Y. Zhu, X. Deng, C. Zhao, T. Nam, I. Hwang

    International Airborne Wind Energy Conference (AWEC) 2026, University of Porto, Portugal.

  10. 2025

    A Surveillance Evasion Framework for Counter-UAS Missions: an Attacker-Centric Perspective

    J. Kim, K. A. Pant, K. S. Sommer-Kohrt, J. R. Kinerson, J. M. Goppert

    International Conference on Control, Automation and Systems (ICCAS) 2025, Incheon, South Korea.

    Paper
  11. 2025

    SAFE-TAXI: A Hierarchical Multi-UAS Safe Auto-Taxiing Framework with Runtime Safety Assurance and Conflict Resolution Accepted/Retracted

    K. A. Pant, Li-Yu Lin, W. Sribunma, S. Brunswicker, J. M. Goppert, I. Hwang

    IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2025, Hangzhou, China.

    arXiv
  12. 2025

    Automated Discovery of Semantic Attacks in Multi-Robot Navigation Systems

    D. Yeke, K. A. Pant, M. O. Ozmen, H. Kim, J. Goppert, I. Hwang, A. Bianchi, Z. B. Celik

    USENIX Security Symposium 2025, Seattle, WA, USA. (Acceptance rate: 17.1%)

  13. 2024

    Adversarial Sensor Attacks Against Uncertain Cyber-Physical Systems: A Dynamic Output Feedback Approach

    K. A. Pant, S. Khan, I. Hwang

    IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS), 2024.

    Paper
  14. 2024

    Range-based Multi-Robot Integrity Monitoring Against Cyberattacks and Faults: An Anchor-Free Approach

    V. Vijay, K. A. Pant, M. Cho, Y. Guo, J. M. Goppert, I. Hwang

    IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 2024.

    Paper
  15. 2024

    MIXED-SENSE: A mixed reality sensor emulation framework for test and evaluation of UAVs against false data injection attacks

    K. A. Pant, Li-Yu Lin, J. Kim, W. Sribunma, J. M. Goppert, I. Hwang

    IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2024), Abu Dhabi, UAE.

    Paper
  16. 2024

    Mixed-Reality Testbed for Autonomous Fixed-Wing UAVs Human-Autonomy Teaming

    W. Sribunma, Li-Yu Lin, K. A. Pant, C. Deng, J. M. Goppert, S. Brunswicker, J. Roberts

    IEEE International Conference on Assured Autonomy (ICAA) 2024, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.

    Paper
  17. 2023

    Towards Robust State Estimation in Matrix Lie Groups

    K. A. Pant, L. Y. Lin, J. M. Goppert, I. Hwang

    Workshop on Geometric Representations, IEEE ICRA 2023, London, UK.

    Paper
  18. 2023

    An Open-Source Gazebo Plugin for GNSS Multipath Signal Emulation in Virtual Urban Canyons

    K. A. Pant, Z. Yang, J. M. Goppert, I. Hwang

    AIAA SciTech Forum 2023, National Harbor, MD, USA.

    Paper
  19. 2023

    Synthesis of Robust State Estimation Algorithms under Unknown Sensor Inputs

    S. Khan, K. A. Pant, I. Hwang

    IEEE Control Systems Letters (L-CSS), 2023.

    Paper

Full list on Google Scholar.

Curriculum Vitae

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Education

2023 – Present
Ph.D. in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Advisors: Dr. Inseok Hwang & Dr. James Goppert
2021 – 2023
M.S. in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Major: Autonomy & Control · Minor: Robotics · GPA: 4.0/4.0
2014 – 2018
B.Tech. in Electronics Engineering
IIT (BHU) Varanasi, India
GPA: 9.21/10

Honors & Awards

2026–27
Hugh W. and Edna M. Donnan Fellowship, Purdue University (Top 3 Applicants)
2021–23
Chintakindi L. & Sita C. Amba-Rao Fellowship, Purdue University (Only 1 Applicant)
2014–18
Merit-cum-Means Scholarship, IIT (BHU) Varanasi (Top 10%)

Experience

Jun–Aug 2025
Graduate Research Intern
Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), Ann Arbor, MI
Flight control systems for tethered-kite wind energy applications.
2018 – 2021
Scientist/Engineer 'SC'
ISRO – Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), India
Control electronics for GSLV, GSLV MkIII, PSLV & SSLV launch vehicles.

Teaching Experience

2025 – Present
Head TA – AAE 364 Control Systems Analysis
Purdue University, Fall 2025
2025 – Present
GTA – AAE 568 Applied Optimal Control & Estimation
Purdue University, Spring 2025 & Spring 2026

Skills

C/C++ Python MATLAB ROS/ROS2 Gazebo PX4 LaTeX Git

Get in Touch

Interested in collaborating on planning and control of multi-robot systems or discussing airborne wind energy innovations? I'd love to hear from you.

✉ Email kpant@purdue.edu
📍 Office ARMS 3132, Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47906
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