Leadership & Committees

Organization

The 19th International Micro Air Vehicle Conference and Competition is hosted by the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) in coordination with the international IMAV steering committee.

Host University

Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

Founded in 1934, USP is Brazil's leading research institution and consistently ranked the top university in Latin America. The São Carlos campus is an internationally recognized cradle of technological development.

Hosting Faculty

Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC)

EESC-USP is renowned for its Department of Aeronautical Engineering and Mechatronics. Its student teams and research labs have won multiple international awards in unmanned aviation, aerodynamics, and robotics.

General Chairs

Executive Leadership

General Chair

Prof. Dr. Caio Fonseca

EESC-USP (Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos)

Professor in Aeronautical Engineering specializing in autonomous unmanned flight and flight dynamics.

Honorary Co-Chair / Steering Committee

Prof. Dr. Sylvain Durand

INSA Strasbourg / ICube Laboratory

Lead organizer of IMAV 2026 and long-time contributor to the IMAV steering committee.

Technical & Scientific Program

Peer Review

Technical Program Chair

Prof. Dr. Glauco Caurin

Mechatronics Department, EESC-USP

Specialist in robotics, haptics, and automated systems.

AI & Autonomy Chair

Prof. Dr. Denis Wolf

ICMC-USP (Institute of Mathematical and Computer Sciences)

Leader in intelligent perception systems, SLAM, and autonomous mobile robotics.

Competition Directors & Referees

Arenas & Flight Telemetry

Indoor Challenge Director

Dr. Lucas Martins

USP Robotics Club & AeroDesign Alum

Expert in indoor drone arenas, safety nets, and optical tracking telemetry.

Outdoor Challenge Director

Eng. Rafael Souza

São Carlos Flight Tech Lab

Experienced flight test engineer and airspace coordinator.