Control of the microstructure is crucial for realizing optimum properties in advanced sintered materials. We describe a mathematical model for solid state sintering of ceramic systems, which is based on a population balance paradigm for pore shrinkage and grain growth. It incorporates the interplay between densification and grain growth and tracks the trajectories of pore and grain size spectra in a reasonably realistic manner. The model is employed in a simulation mode to identify the effect of initial grain (particle) size distribution and to optimize the time-temperature sintering cycle based on our own work on sintering of composite alumina-zirconia. The utility of this approach for computer-aided control of the evolution of microstructure is discussed.