Cara Koepele

In addition to fostering impactful research, the NCCR Automation community places strong emphasis on quality communication, which encourages engagement with industry partners and the broader public.

Cara is a PhD student at the Automatic Control Laboratory (IfA) at ETH Zürich and the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory (UESL) at EMPA, under the supervision of Prof. John Lygeros and Philipp Heer, respectively. She received a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 2018, and subsequently gained industry experience through the rotational program at General Motors. She completed an MSc in Robotics, Systems and Control at ETH Zurich in 2024. Her research explores how the design and operation of energy systems can be developed jointly from the perspectives of optimization and control. Beyond research, Cara is passionate about teaching and education.