05 June 2026
Bilbao
The University of Deusto will host the international conference “Control, PDEs and Machine Learning” from 8 to 11 June, organised in honour of the mathematician Enrique Zuazua on the occasion of his 65th birthday. The conference will bring together leading researchers from around the world in Bilbao to discuss the latest advances in control theory, partial differential equations, numerical analysis, data science and machine learning.
The conference recognises an outstanding scientific career that has made a significant contribution to the development of applied mathematics internationally and has helped establish the Basque Country and Spain among the world’s leading centres of excellence in the field. Rector Juan José Etxeberria will take part in the opening of this conference, which will open on Monday, 8 June, at 9:00 in the Garate Room. Also attending will be the Rector of the University of the Basque Country, Joxerramon Bengoetxea.
Over the course of four days, collaborators, former students and colleagues from institutions around the world will present their research and discuss future challenges in applied mathematics, control theory and artificial intelligence. The programme will also include public events that will give the wider public an insight into the impact of these disciplines in areas such as engineering, physics, industry and data science.
Enrique Zuazua
Having earned doctorates from the University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea and the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, Enrique Zuazua began a brilliant academic career that led him to be appointed to his first professorship at the age of just 28. He is currently Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid and holds the Chair in Computational Mathematics at the University of Deusto, as well as the Chair in Dynamics, Control, Machine Learning and Numerical Analysis at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, where he also holds an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship.
Throughout his career, he has received some of the most prestigious distinctions in mathematical research, including the Basque Research Award, the Spanish National Research Award, the W. T. and Idalia Reid Prize awarded by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and an honorary doctorate from the University of Lorraine. He is also a member of Jakiunde and the Academia Europaea.
His scientific work has resulted in more than 440 publications and major contributions to partial differential equations, control theory, optimisation, computational mathematics and the application of artificial intelligence to mathematics. In addition, he has supervised more than thirty doctoral theses and has promoted an extensive international network of scientific collaboration.
Zuazua also played a key role in the creation and consolidation of leading research structures. He was the founding Scientific Director of the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, managed the Mathematics Area of the Spanish National Research Plan, and was awarded several projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC).
Beyond his scientific achievements, the tribute recognises his commitment to training new generations of researchers, to international collaboration, and to strengthening scientific communities in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Practical information
Conference: Control, PDEs and Machine Learning
Date: 8-11 June 2026
Venue: Gárate Room, University of Deusto (Bilbao)
