In this episode, our guest is Jean-Jacques Slotine, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Information Sciences as well as Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Director of the Nonlinear Systems Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Distinguished Faculty at Google AI.  We explore and connect a wide range of ideas from nonlinear and adaptive control to robotics, neuroscience, complex networks, optimization and machine learning. Outline 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - Jean-Jacques' early life 06:17 - Why control? 09:45 - Sliding control and adaptive nonlinear control 18:47 - Neural networks 23:15 - First ventures in neuroscience 28:27 - Contraction theory and applications 48:26 - Synchronization 51:10 - Complex networks 57:59 - Optimization and machine learning 1:08:17 -  Advice to future students and outro Episode links NCCR Symposium: https://tinyurl.com/bdz84p4c Sliding mode control: https://tinyurl.com/2s45ra4m Applied nonlinear control: https://tinyurl.com/4wmbt4bw On the Adaptive Control of Robot Manipulators: https://tinyurl.com/b7jcpkzw Gaussian Networks for Direct Adaptive Control: https://tinyurl.com/22zb7pkx The intermediate cerebellum may function as a wave-variable processor: https://tinyurl.com/2c34ytep On contraction analysis for nonlinear systems: https://tinyurl.com/5cw4z9j8 Kalman conjecture: https://tinyurl.com/2pfjsbke I. Prigogine: https://tinyurl.com/5ct8yssb RNNs of RNNs: https://tinyurl.com/3mpt7fec How Synchronization Protects from Noise: https://tinyurl.com/2p82erwp Controllability of complex networks: https://tinyurl.com/24w7hdae B. Anderson: https://tinyurl.com/e9pkyxdx Online lectures on nonlinear control: https://tinyurl.com/525cnru4 Podcast info Podcast website: https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/5n84j85j Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4rwztj3c RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1632769.rss Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/bdbvhsj6 Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3z24yr43 Twitter: https://twitter.com/IncontrolP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/incontrol_podcast/ Acknowledgments and sponsors This episode was supported by the National Centre of Competence in Research on «Dependable, ubiquitous automation» and the IFAC Activity fund. The podcast benefits from the help of an incredibly talented and passionate team. Special thanks to B. Seward, E. Cahard, F. Banis, F. Dörfler, J. Lygeros, as well as the ETH and mirrorlake studios. Music was composed by A New Element.  Support the show