Distributed networked agent systems describe a wide variety of coupling systems in nature and society, which include multiagent systems and complex networks as special cases. Recently, research on distributed control and optimization of networked agent systems has gained much attention from various scientific communities. Furthermore, revealing the fundamental properties and controlling the collective behaviors of networked agent systems not only help provide a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of collective behaviors but also benefit various applications of networked cyberphysical systems, such as distributed robot teams and unmanned underwater vehicles.

The main focus of this special issue will be on the new distributed control approaches in networked agent systems as well as their potential engineering applications. The special issue will become an international forum for researchers in all branches of control theory, electrical engineering, and applied mathematics to present and summarize the most recent developments and ideas on distributed control of networked agent systems and their engineering applications in practical systems.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Distributed cooperative control of multiagent systems
• Synchronization in complex networks
• Pinning control of large-scale coupling systems
• Collective behaviors in complex networks
• Cooperative control with uncertain/stochastic disturbances
• control of networked agent systems
• Distributed optimization of multiagent systems
• Distributed energy management systems
• Distributed control in smart grids
• Distributed voltage control
• Distributed control of unmanned underwater vehicles
• Distributed control of cyberphysical systems
• Distributed security control of complex networks