Thank you for your interest in the Guidance and Control Laboratory (GCL). This page introduces our lab atmosphere and research life for prospective students and postdoctoral researchers.
Research Areas
We provide an environment where students can conduct research from theoretical work to simulations and hardware experiments, centered on aircraft and spacecraft guidance and control. For more details, see our Research page. For conferences and publications, see News and Publications.
Spacecraft Guidance & Control
Trajectory design and attitude control for satellites and deep space probes. Contributing to space missions through theory and numerical simulations.
Flying Robots
Path planning, navigation, and control of flying robots (drones). Developing systems for autonomous exploration in unknown environments.
Optimal Control
Advanced control system design using optimal control theory. Validating theory through large-scale numerical simulations.
International Collaboration
Working with domestic and international research institutions on cutting-edge research. Many opportunities for conference presentations.
Choosing Your Research Theme
Some themes are inherited from senior students, but in many cases you can prioritize your own interests. You will find your unique research topic through discussions with your advisor.
Research Life
There is no mandatory core time. Students can work at their own pace.
A Typical Day
Annual Schedule
Seminars & Meetings
- Group seminar (every Friday morning): 3–5 members present on knowledge sharing and research progress
- Individual meetings (every 1–2 weeks): One-on-one discussions with your advisor about research direction
- Paper reading sessions: Read and discuss the latest papers to deepen knowledge
Facilities
- Located in West Building 4
- Personal desk and PC for each student
- Computing servers are available for large-scale numerical simulations
- We have an indoor drone experimental room equipped with motion capture cameras (OptiTrack), enabling precise position tracking of drones
- Programming languages: Julia, MATLAB/Simulink, Python, C++, etc.
Lab Atmosphere
- Active interaction across all years; feel free to ask seniors for help
- We organize social events such as welcome parties, farewell parties, and ski trips several times a year
- Many opportunities to attend domestic and international conferences
- Diverse membership including international students
Career Paths
Our alumni are active in aerospace and many other fields (in no particular order)
- JAXA
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
- SKY Perfect JSAT
- NEC Corporation
- Mitsubishi Electric
- Hitachi
- Toyota
- KOMATSU
- Kyushu University (Ph.D. program)
- ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science)
How to Join
Undergraduate Students
Follow the assignment procedure of the Aerospace Engineering course
Graduate Students (M.S./Ph.D.)
Check the Dept. of Aeronautics & Astronautics for admission information
For Postdocs & Ph.D. Candidates
We also welcome postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. candidates from outside the university. The following fellowships may be available:
- JSPS Research Fellowships (DC1/DC2/PD)
- SPRING (Kyushu University Doctoral Fellowship Program)
- Other scholarships and fellowship programs
For more information, please also refer to the following pages:
Contact
Lab visits are welcome at any time. If you are interested in joining as a student, postdoc, or otherwise, please feel free to contact us.
Bando: mbando[at]aero.kyushu-u.ac.jp(replace [at] with @)