Alumni

Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Aja Carter
Postdoc 2020-2023
Currently: Postdoc, Robomechanics Lab Carnegie Mellon University

Dr. Paul Gustafson
Postdoc 2021-2023
Currently: Quantitative Researcher- The Ambrus Group

Dr. Cristina Wilson
Postdoc 2019-2022
Currently: Research Associate Faculty, Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute, Oregon State University

Dr. Matthew Kvalheim
Postdoc 2019-2022
Currently: Postdoctoral Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan

Professor Feifei Qian
Postdoc 2016-2019
Currently: WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California

Dr. Dan Guralnik
Postdoc 2010-20

Dr. Paul Reverdy
Postdoc 2014-2017

Dr. Galen Clark Haynes
Postdoc 2008-11, University of Pennsylvania
Currently: Commercialization Specialist (Spec. Faculty), National Robotics Engineering Center, CMU

Professor Shai Revzen
Postdoc 2009–2012

Professor Jonathan Clark (DCI Postdoc 2004-2007)
Present Position: Associate Professor, Florida State University

Dr. Richard Altendorfer (Computational Neuromechanics Project, Postdoc 2000-2003)
Present Position: Member Technical Staff, TRW Automotive

Dr. Erich Staudacher (Computational Neuromechanics Project, Postdoc 1998-2000)

PhD Students

University of Pennsylvania

J. Diego Caporale
(Ph.D. 2024)
Thesis Title: Do the Twist: Toward Agile Control of an Axial Twisting Robotic Quadruped

Shane Rozen-Levy
(Ph.D. 2023)
Thesis Title: No Watts Wasted: Spines and Tails For Agile Legged Locomotion
Currently: Staff Software Engineer Boston Dynamics

Abriana Stewart-Height
Ph.D. 2023
Thesis Title: Agile Tripedal Locomotion for Damaged Quadruped Robots
Currently: MIT School of Engineering Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow

T. Turner Topping
(Ph.D. 2023)
Thesis Title: Compositional Methods for Agile Quadrupedal Behaviors
Currently: Ghost Robotics

Sonia Roberts
(Ph.D. 2021)
Thesis Title: Experimental methods to support robot behavior design for legged locomotion on granular media
Currently: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute for Experiential Robotics, Northeastern University, College of Engineering

Gavin Keanneally
(Ph.D. 2021)
Thesis title: Design of Proprioceptive Legged Robots
Currently: Ghost Robotics

Vasileios Vasilopoulos
(Ph.D. 2021, Postdoc 2021)
Thesis title: Reactive Planning with Legged Robots in Unknown Environments
Currently: Research Scientist, Samsung Research America

Jeff Duperret
(Ph.D. 2020)
Thesis Title: Affordances and Control of a Spine Morphology for Robotic Quadrupedal Locomotion
Currently: Ghost Robotics

Berkay Deniz Ilhan
(Ph.D. 2018, Postdoc 2019)
Thesis title: Autonomous Behaviors with a Legged Robot
Currently: Ghost Robotics

Avik De
(Ph.D. 2017, Postdoc 2017-18)
Thesis title: Modular Hopping and Running via Parallel Composition
Currently: Ghost Robotics

Omur Arslan
(Ph.D. 2016, Postdoc 2016-17)
Thesis title: Clustering-Based Robot Navigation and Control
Currently: Tenure-track Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology

Dr. Aaron Johnson
(Ph.D. 2014, , Postdoc 2014)
Thesis Title: Self-Manipulation and Dynamic Transitions for a Legged Robot
Currently: Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

Goran Lynch
Ph.D. 2011, University of Pennsylvania
Thesis title: Dynamic Vertical Climbing: Bioinspiration, Design, and Analysis
Currently: Project Manager, Synapse Product Development

University of Michigan

Dr. Gabriel Lopes
(Ph.D. 2007, University of Michigan)
Thesis title: Visual Registration for Legged Robot Navigation
Follow-up position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Delft University of Technology
Currently: Assistant Professor, Delft University of Technology

Professor Pei-Chun Lin
(Ph.D. 2005, University of Michigan , Postdoc 2005–2007, University of Pennsylvania)
Thesis title: Proprioceptive Sensors for a Legged Robot
Currently: Professor, Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University

Dr. Haldun Komsuoglu
Ph.D. 2004 University of Michigan, Postdoc 2005–2008
Currently: Founder and CEO, Robolit, LLC

Dr. Eric Westervelt (Ph.D. 2003, University of Michigan, co-advised with Prof. Jessy Grizzle)
Thesis title: Toward a Coherent Framework for the Control of Planar Biped Locomotion
Follow-up position: Assistant Professor, Ohio State University

Prof. Richard Groff (Ph.D. 2002, University of Michigan, co-advised with Prof. P. P. Khargonekar)
Thesis title: Piecewise Linear Homeomorphisms for Approximation of Invertible Maps
Follow-up position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Berkeley
Currently: Assistant Professor, Clemson University

Prof. Uluc Saranli (Ph.D. 2002, University of Michigan)
Thesis title: Dynamic Locomotion with a Hexapod Robot
Follow-up positions: Postdoctoral Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University
Currently: Associate Professor, Dept. Computer Engineering, Middle Eastern Technical University, Turkey

Prof. Eric Klavins (Ph.D. 2001, University of Michigan, co-advised with Prof. W. R. Rounds)
Thesis title: Decentralized Phase Regulation of Cyclic Robotic Systems
Follow-up position: Postdoctoral Researcher, California Institute of Technology
Currently: Professor, Electrical Engineering, University of Washington

Prof. Noah Cowan (Ph.D. 2001, University of Michigan)
Thesis title: Vision-based Control via Navigation Functions
Follow-up position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Berkeley
Currently: Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Jun Nakanishi (Ph.D. 1999, University of Nagoya, Japan, co-advised with Prof. Toshio Fukuda)
Thesis title: A Dynamics Based Brachiating Robot
Currently: Associate Professor, Department of Micro-Nano Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Japan

Dr. William J. Schwind (Ph.D. 1997, University of Michigan, Computational Neuromechanics Project, Postdoc 1998 – 1999)
Thesis title: Spring Loaded Inverted Pendulum Running: A Plant Model
Follow-up position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Michigan
Currently: Member of Technical Staff, Raytheon, Inc.

Dr. Charles Cohen (Ph.D. 1996, University of Michigan, co-advised with Prof. Lynn Conway)
Thesis title: Dynamical System Representation, Generation, and Recognition of Basic Oscillatory Motion Gestures, and Applications for the Control of Actuated Mechanisms
Currently: Vice President, Cybernet Systems Corporation

Dr. Peter Swanson (Ph.D. 1996, University of Michigan)
Thesis Title: Shaking Strategies for Sensorless Parts Orientation
Currently: Senior Product Development Engineer, FANUC Robotics, Inc.

Dr. Robert Burridge (Ph.D. 1996, University of Michigan)
Thesis title: Toward a Dynamical Pick and Place
Currently: Member Technical Staff, Metrica, Inc.

Dr. Dongmin Kim (Ph.D. 1995, University of Michigan)
Thesis title: Calibration Issues in Robotics

Yale University

Dr. Alfred Rizzi (Ph.D. 1994, Yale University)
Thesis title: Dexterous Robot Manipulation
Follow-up positions: Postdoctoral Researcher, Assistant Research Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
Currently: Chief Robotics Scientist, Boston Dynamics

Prof. Louis Whitcomb (Ph.D. 1992, Yale University)
Thesis title: Advances in Architectures and Algorithms for High Performance Robot Control
Follow-up position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Currently: Professor & Chair, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Prof. Elon Rimon (Ph.D. 1990, Yale University)
Thesis title: Exact robot navigation using artificial potential functions
Currently: Professor, Israel Institute of Technology (Technion)

Dr. Martin Buehler (Ph.D. 1990, Yale University)
Thesis title: Robotics in Intermittent Dynamical Environments
Follow-up positions: Postdoctoral Researcher, MIT; Professor, McGill University; Director of Robotics, Boston Dynamics, Inc.
Currently: Executive R&D Imagineer at Walt Disney Imagineering

M.S. Students

Seema Jahagirdar

Lucien Peach

Zeyuan Feng

Griffin Addison Picciani

Chandravaran Kunjeti

Sachin Pullil

Ziya Xu

Ethan Musser

Zac Gong

Jason Jiang

Steven Wu

Griffon McMahon

Shricharana Puthige

Anna Brill

Woohyeck (Martin) Yang

Enri Kina

Steven Wu

Yangyi Shi

Yiyu (Shelly) Wu

Yuxuan Huang

Brian Kwon

Chenze Ning

Chun Chang

Anmol Kathail

Weiyi Tang

Yabing Hu

Avi Resnick

Julia Messick

Shivangi Misra

Vidula Kopli

Chenze Ning

Weiyu Du

Meghna Gummadi

Divya Ramesh

Rosalind Shinkle

Artemis Panagopoulou

Mary Nahill

Siqi Huang

Piyush Kamal

Cam Zawacki

Hancheng Min

Arunkumar Byravan

Ben Plotnick

Emily Plumb

Mackenzie White

Tim Herrmann

Visiting Scholars

Aaron Peck

Undergraduate Students

Violet Brasby Jones

Jillian Pote (Summer 2022, University of Pennsylvania)

Lucien Peach (2021-22, University of Pennsylvania)

Alex Jiang (Summer 2022, University of Pennsylvania)

Griffin Addison Picciani (2021-22, University of Pennsylvania)

Declan Cambey (2021-22, University of Pennsylvania)

Avi Resnick (2021, University of Pennsylvania)

Ben Bernstein (2015-16, University of Pennsylvania)

Ahmed Zahra (2014, University of Pennsylvania)

Jordan Martin (2014, University of Pennsylvania)

Ben Kramer (2014-2016, University of Pennsylvania)

Shafag Idris (2011-2014, University of Pennsylvania)

Justin Starr (2011-2014, University of Pennsylvania)

Mike Choi (2012 – 2013, University of Pennsylvania)

Pouria Sanjari (2012-2013, University of Pennsylvania)

Karl Bayer (2012, Columbia University)

Kevin Alcedo (2013, University of Pennsylvania)

Evelyn “Fifi” Yeung (2013, University of Pennsylvania)

Matthew Hale (2008-2012, University of Pennsylvania)

Ryan Knopf

Anirudha Majumdar, currently: Assistant Professor, Princeton University

Sarah Koehler (2009, Cornell University)

Phillip Dupree (2009, Columbia University)

Sam Russem (2007–2009, University of Pennsylvania)