David Lauri Pla joined Pfizer in 2013 after being a Pfizer post-doc in the University of Manchester, UK. He holds a PhD in Model Predictive Control combined with Latent Variable Methods at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain. His major scientific contributions have been in terms of control relevant identification to obtain better models for control, constrain the controller decision space for a proper use of the model which yields a more reliable model predictive control strategy, and perform the optimization in the latent variable space for a reduced computational cost. He has several publications in high impact International Journals and three of them have been in the TOP25 Science direct list. During his studies he has been honored with several academic efficiency awards.
In terms of professional experience he worked for one year as a researcher in the automation department in the Technological Institute of Energy in Spain, for one year as a process engineer in ALCOA (ALuminum Company of America) Spain, he developed his bachelor’s project in the company Fly car model obtaining a regional award, and he has worked as an external consultant for the company DECAFE during the research and scale up of a novel material made of coffee grounds.
His academic background leads to high level skills in mathematical modeling and development of advanced algorithms. His professional background leads to an effective and efficient approach for problem solving and project management. His additional interest for programming and hands on prototyping leads to skills in building final physical solutions. These three branches combined make him a professional oriented to develop effective and efficient solutions for challenging problems.