Sandeep Banik

Welcome! I'm a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, working with Naira Hovakimyan. I obtained my PhD from Michigan State University in 2023, advised by Shaunak D. Bopardikar.

My research develops theoretical and algorithmic foundations for safe interactive autonomy. I integrate dynamic game theory, robust control, and machine learning to address decision-making under distribution shift and strategic interaction. My work includes resource takeover games, shared autonomy frameworks, and system-theoretic hazard analysis for learning-enabled systems.

**I'm on the job market. If you are aware of any opportunities, please contact me at baniksan@illinois.edu!**

Research Interests

My goal is to enable safe and reliable autonomous systems that can effectively interact with humans and operate under uncertainty. My research focuses on:

  • Shared Autonomy: Human-AI handover problems, cooperative takeover games, and frameworks for safe human-robot collaboration
  • Robust Learning & Control: L1-adaptive control, distributionally robust imitation learning, and certifiable autonomy
  • Game-Theoretic Security: Resource takeover games (FlipDyn), adversarial reasoning, and attack-resilient planning
  • Multi-Agent Systems: Potential function learning, coordination in time-critical missions, and collaborative strategies

I'm open to research discussions and collaborations. Feel free to reach out!

Education

  • Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, 2019-2023
    Advisor: Shaunak D. Bopardikar | GPA: 4.0/4.0
  • M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium, 2015-2017
  • B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering, Visvesvaraya Technological University, India, 2010-2014