Prof. Maria Prandini of the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano, currently Chair of the Study Programme in Automation and Control Engineering, received an outstanding recognition by the international systems engineering and control community: She has been elected President of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) for the triennium 2026-2029. In the final election round, Prof. Prandini won against candidates from the USA, the Netherlands, and China. She is the 2nd Italian IFAC President since IFAC's foundation in 1957 and the first female President in IFAC's history.
IFAC is a worldwide organization promoting the science and technology of automatic control for the benefit of humankind through the organization of conferences, the publication of prestigious journals, the coordination of technical committees, the establishment of awards and recognitions, and the support to outreach initiatives, especially in developing countries. IFAC currently operates thanks to the contribution of over 2.500 volunteers.