Jens Glad Balchen

Jens Glad Balchen
Name	Jens Glad Balchen
Birth date	3 October 1926
Death date	15 January 2009
Nationality	Norwegian
Fields	Control engineering, biomedical engineering, cybernetics
Institutions	Norwegian Institute of Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, SINTEF
Alma mater	Norwegian Institute of Technology
Known for	Underwater control systems, physiological control, process control
Awards	See Awards and honours

Jens Glad Balchen Jens Glad Balchen was a Norwegian engineer and professor noted for pioneering work in control engineering and biomedical applications. He established key programs at the Norwegian Institute of Technology and influenced industrial research at SINTEF, collaborating with institutions across Europe and North America. Balchen's career intersected with organizations and figures in electrical engineering, physiology, medicine, and maritime technology.

Early life and education

Balchen was born in Bergen and pursued studies at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) where he studied electrical engineering alongside contemporaries and institutions such as the University of Oslo, Technical University of Munich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Imperial College London. During his formative years he encountered developments linked with the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and engineers associated with Statoil, Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk, and Norsk Hydro. His education exposed him to methodologies used by researchers connected to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and the International Federation of Automatic Control.

Academic and research career

Balchen joined the faculty at the Norwegian Institute of Technology and later played a central role at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), collaborating with SINTEF researchers and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. He established laboratories that connected to NATO research programs, European Research Council initiatives, and bilateral projects with institutions such as the University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, Delft University of Technology, and Politecnico di Milano. His supervisory network included scholars linked to the Royal Society, Academia Europaea, and the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences, and his projects interfaced with industrial partners including Rolls-Royce, General Electric, Westinghouse, and ABB.

Balchen fostered links between control theory groups at Princeton University, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley, while maintaining collaborations with biomedical groups at Karolinska Institutet, University College London, Johns Hopkins University, and McGill University. He participated in conferences organized by IEEE Control Systems Society, IFAC, American Automatic Control Council, and the European Control Association.

Contributions to control engineering and biomedical applications

Balchen contributed to automatic control, robust control, adaptive control, and multivariable control, influencing work associated with figures such as Hendrik Bode, Rudolf Kalman, Lotfi Zadeh, and John Ragazzini. His research on underwater vehicle control connected to advances by companies and institutes like Kongsberg Maritime, MARIN, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, and the Royal Norwegian Navy, and to programs involving the Office of Naval Research and NATO Undersea Research Centre.

In biomedical applications he advanced physiological control systems, artificial ventilation control, closed-loop anesthesia, and prosthetics research intersecting with teams at Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou. His studies interacted with technologies developed at Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, GE Healthcare, and Medtronic, and with concepts pursued at institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

Balchen integrated signal processing, sensors, and actuator systems, drawing on methods associated with Claude Shannon, Norbert Wiener, and Alan Turing, and tools used by practitioners at CERN, ESA, NASA, and EUREKA clusters. He contributed to industrial process control, linking to standards and practices promoted by International Organization for Standardization, Det Norske Veritas, Lloyd's Register, and the Norwegian Maritime Directorate.

Awards and honours

Balchen received recognition from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences, and was awarded national and international honours tied to bodies such as the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and awards presented by IEEE, IFAC, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was conferred honorary degrees and lectureships with associations including the University of Oslo, University of Bergen, Chalmers University of Technology, and the Technical University of Denmark. His work was acknowledged by research councils and funding agencies like the Research Council of Norway, European Commission research programs, and NATO Science for Peace.

Personal life and legacy

Balchen's personal life involved engagement with cultural and scientific organizations such as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, and foundations linked to the University of Tromsø and the Norwegian Research Council. His legacy persists through research groups at NTNU, SINTEF, Kongsberg Maritime, and through former students who became professors at institutions like the University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London. Collections of his papers and documented projects are associated with archives at the National Library of Norway, the Norwegian University archives, and repositories collaborating with the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.

Category:Norwegian engineers Category:Control engineers Category:1926 births Category:2009 deaths