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Dr. Yufik was born in Poland and educated in Russia and the U.S. He holds a M.S. in Engineering Physics with High Honors and a Ph.D. in Physics and Applied Math from the Kalinin Polytechnic University, Russia. His research while at the University addressed phase transformations in solid-state materials, and advanced control methods developed in conjunction with the Kalinin Military Academy for Anti-Aircraft Defense. Yan was recognized by the USSR Ministry of Education as one of three outstanding professors in the nation, while his publication in the Journal of Experimental Physics was recognized as a significant scientific accomplishment. Prior to becoming a U.S. citizen in 1987, Yan completed post doctoral studies in Cybernetics and Psychology, and served as Deputy Director in the Medical Cybernetics Laboratory, Ukranian Academy of Sciences.

Since 1989, Dr. Yufik has been the head of the Institute of Medical Cybernetics, Inc. (IMC) and senior faculty at the Johns Hopkins University, lecturing on software systems and cognitive modeling. IMC is a small business concern conducting advanced R&D for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA, FAA, DARPA, other government agencies, and major DoD contractors. Results of this R&D were evaluated as “exceeding expectations” (NASA) and “revolutionary” (WP AFB), and awarded special recognition.

Prior to founding the IMC, Yan was Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cognitive Science Institute, University of California San Diego, and served as the Senior Human-Machine Systems Specialist at General Atomic in San Diego, CA, Senior AI Researcher at the FMC Corporation in San Jose, CA, and Senior Technical Advisor in the Office of Vice President, NCR Corporation, a multibillion dollar manufacturer of computer based systems, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. In the latter position, Yan conducted corporate R&D in AI, networks, and intelligent interfaces, and was NCR’s representative on the Advisory Board of the U.S. Microelectronics and Computer Consortium chaired by Admiral Inman. His performance in those capacities was recognized as outstanding.

Yan’s research interests are focused on adaptation and control in artificial and biological systems, with applications in command, control, communications and intelligence. Yan holds two U.S. patents, published numerous papers and two book chapters on computational and biological control, and co-chaired national workshops and international symposia on that subject. Publication of his research in the 1989 Proc. Int. Conf. on Human-Machine Systems was recognized by the international conference committee as a significant scientific contribution. During 1995 - 1998, he was Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Strategic International Studies, Washington, D.C. where he studied the role of complex systems in the 21st century defense, and was Principal Investigator in the assessment of strategic technologies for the Net Assessment Office. Dr. Yufik is a Senior Member of IEEE, and Member, New York Academy of Sciences.

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