Prof. Dr. Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi Appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of Section “Intelligent Control and Machine Learning” in Automation

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. Dr. Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi as the Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Intelligent Control and Machine Learning” in Automation (ISSN: 2673-4052).

Name: Prof. Dr. Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi
Affiliation: Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Mechatronics Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Toronto M5B 2K3, ON, Canada
Interests: artificial intelligence; intelligent robot control; aerial manipulation; visual learning; visual servo control; continuum systems control; opto-mechatronics, medical robotics

Prof. Dr. Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi holds a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada. He has supervised more than 60 Higher Degree by Research students to completion and published over 300 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers.

Prof. Dr. Janabi-Sharifi is an expert in opto-mechatronics, with a focus on the study of vision-based control for robots and continuum robotic systems. He has developed several technologies for industry and healthcare, including the first intelligent robotic shot peening, a pioneering robotic system for cardiac interventions, and a novel vision-based robot learning platform for programming by demonstration.

We are confident that his vision and leadership will steer the “Intelligent Control and Machine Learning” Section of Automation towards new heights of success.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views on the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role of Section Editor-in-Chief?

I have served on the Editorial Board of this journal—as well as several others—for many years, and during this time, I have witnessed first-hand the rapid growth of machine learning and its transformative impact on the control field. It has become clear to me that the community urgently needs strong publication platforms dedicated to advancing and disseminating research at the intersection of machine learning and intelligent control.
Given my long-standing involvement in developing intelligent control and learning techniques across a range of applications, I felt motivated to take on a more proactive leadership role. Stepping into the position of Section Editor-in-Chief allows me to help shape the direction of the field, support high-quality contributions, and ensure that the journal continues to meet the evolving needs of our research community.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

My vision for Automation is to guide the journal toward becoming a leading platform for high-quality, impactful research at the intersection of intelligent systems, machine learning, and control. As automation technologies evolve at an unprecedented pace, it is essential for the journal to not only keep up with emerging trends but to actively shape the future of the field.
I aim to strengthen the journal’s role in bridging theory and practice by encouraging submissions that combine rigorous analytical foundations with real-world applications. I also envision expanding the journal’s scope to include new and rapidly growing areas such as data-driven control, autonomous systems, robotics, and safety-critical AI. Ensuring high editorial standards, transparency in the review process, and timely publication will be central to this vision.
Ultimately, I want Automation to be recognized as a trusted and influential venue where researchers, practitioners, and industry partners exchange ideas that push the boundaries of intelligent and autonomous systems. I will also ensure we maintain high scientific standards and ensure that publication fees do not compromise quality.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

The future of this field is poised to be shaped by the deep integration of machine learning, advanced control theory, and autonomous decision-making. We are moving toward systems that can not only execute predefined tasks but can also learn from data, adapt to uncertainty, and make safe, intelligent decisions in real time. This convergence will redefine automation across all domains—from manufacturing and robotics to transportation, energy, healthcare, and smart infrastructure.
In the coming years, we can expect major advances in data-driven control, safe and trustworthy AI for real-world systems, and scalable autonomy. Hybrid approaches that combine model-based methods with learning algorithms will become essential for achieving reliability, robustness, and transparency. At the same time, the field will increasingly emphasize ethics, safety certification, human–machine collaboration, and resilience in uncertain or dynamic environments.
Overall, the future of automation research will be interdisciplinary, fast-moving, and application-driven. It will create intelligent systems capable of learning continuously, optimizing performance, and interacting seamlessly with humans and the physical world. This transformation will open unprecedented opportunities—and also new responsibilities—for researchers, practitioners, and journals contributing to the field.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?

Open access has become an increasingly important part of the scholarly publishing landscape, and I view its development as both timely and beneficial for the research community under some conditions. By removing traditional access barriers, open access enables broader dissemination of scientific results, faster knowledge transfer, and greater visibility for authors—particularly in fast-moving fields such as automation, machine learning, and intelligent systems.
For emerging areas where interdisciplinary collaboration is essential, open access ensures that researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and industry partners all have equitable access to new findings. This accelerates innovation and fosters a more inclusive global research environment.
At the same time, the growth of open access highlights the need for strong editorial oversight, rigorous peer review, and transparent publishing practices. As open access expands, maintaining high scientific standards and ensuring that publication fees do not compromise quality become critical responsibilities for journals and editorial teams.

We wish Prof. Dr. Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.