
James Akl PhD Student Robotics Engineering jgakl@wpi.edu My research develops a collaborative robotic platform for metal scrap cutting that leverages worker expertise and increases their efficiency and safety.

Fadi Alladkani PhD Student Robotics Engineering fmalladkani@wpi.edu My research aims to improve sorting and separation of mixed-waste in the recycling industry using a human-robot collaboration architecture.

Trevor Bond PhD Student Mechanical Engineering tbond@wpi.edu My research aims to improve mechanical properties of cold spray additive manufacturing through robotic control of spray parameters.

Josiah Boucher PhD Student Interactive Media and Game Development jdboucher@wpi.edu My research aims to create practical applications for game design practices in real-world spaces like offices and smart cities while acknowledging the shortcomings of existing gamification practices.

Galen Brown PhD Student Computer Science gibrown@wpi.edu My research focuses on using real time visual information to improve robot grasping.

Shou-Shan Chiang PhD Student Robotics Engineering schiang@wpi.edu My research aims to model and control soft continuum robotic manipulators and improve the user experience of human-robot interaction.

Darren Cole PhD Student Computational Media dacole@wpi.edu As a moving image sound artist, my research explores emerging technology at the intersection of media literacy, ethics, social justice, and community

Gabrielle Conard MS Student Robotics Engineering ggconard@wpi.edu My research focuses on the development of biologically-inspired terrestrial robots that can work alongside humans in applications such as space exploration or search and rescue. I am also interested in wearable assistive technology for people with disabilities, such as hearing loss.

Albert Enyedy PhD Student Robotics Engineering ajenyedy@wpi.edu My research aims to improve the arm motion control speed of WPI’s Atlas robot by using visual feedback to move towards real-time operation, presenting the opportunity for applications such as showing a humanoid robot how to complete a task via mirroring a human participant’s motions.

Prescious Etinosa PhD Student Materials Science and Engineering poetinosa@wpi.edu My research focuses on robotically assisted tissue engineering and regeneration of biological structures: 3D-robotic positioning/printing of multilayer scaffolds for hard and soft tissue regeneration including dentine, enamel and dentine-enamel junction.

Alicia Howell-Munson (they/them) PhD Bioinformatics and Computational Biology anhowellmunson@wpi.edu My research aims to create adaptive digital environments that integrates a user's brain signal to improve how robots work in tandem with human partners. I also am interested in how brain signals can be used to improve education environments for STEM and language acquisition.

Robin Hall PhD Student Robotics Engineering rfhall@wpi.edu My research aims at creating bio-inspired soft robots capable of aiding in environmental monitoring and climate research.

Steven Hyland PhD Student Robotics Engineering smhyland@wpi.edu My research focuses on collective manipulation of large objects through a robot swarm, led by a human leader. The applications for this research are assistive environments, manufacturing settings, and extraterrestrial exploration.

Achyuthan Unni Krishnan PhD Student Robotics Engineering aunnikrishnan@wpi.edu My research aims to develop robot autonomy to reduce the physical and cognitive workload in nursing robot teleoperation (personal website).

Tsung-Chi (TC) Lin PhD Student Robotics Engineering tlin2@wpi.edu My research aims to develop intuitive, efficient and ergonomic teleoperation interface for mobile humanoid nursing robots (personal webpage).

Shruti Mahajan PhD Student Computer Science spmahajan@wpi.edu My research interests lie in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), focusing on designing interactive and playful environments using touch-sensitive fabrics and augmented reality to promote parent-child co-located communication in the home context. (personal website)

Kenechukwu Churchill Mbanisi PhD Student Robotics Engineering kcmbanisi@wpi.edu My research develops biomechanical modeling of a human driver and analyzes the human factors and interaction dynamics of vehicle maneuver (personal website).

Sean McGovern PhD Student Robotics Engineering smmcgovern@wpi.edu My research is directed towards improving industrial surface spray coverage planning through systematic kinematic constraint analysis, optimization criteria, and user defined preferences.

Tess Meier PhD Student Robotics Engineering tbmeier@wpi.edu My research interests include assistive and rehabilitative robotics, as well as human movement students and neuroscience. I am currently working on studying brain activation during hand exoskeleton use and exploring the effects of different user control mechanisms on neurorehabilitation.

Christopher Micek PhD Student Computer Science cjmicek@wpi.edu My main work explores how implementing a democratic, peer-based "digital jury" moderation system for social media platforms would impact polarization online, compared to traditional, "top-down" moderation that is conducted by employees of the platforms themselves. (personal website )

Dan Moyer PhD Student Robotics Engineering dmoyer@wpi.edu My research aims to develop adaptive controllers that leverage real-world data for online improvement of dynamic models for soft robotic systems during policy learning to reduce the gap between simulation and real-world performance.

Arvand Navabi PhD Student Civil Engineering amnavabi@wpi.edu My research in robot assisted deposition in additive manufacturing of materials is optimized based on creation of high performance materials, my job is to transfer insight about contact and adhesion of material in the deposition process.

Nicholas Pacheco PhD Student Robotics Engineering nepacheco@wpi.edu My research is focused on developing a robotic system with a steerable laser fiber that can automate laser-tissue interactions for use in in-office laser surgery.

Nicholas Pratt PhD Student Mechanical Engineering nrpratt@wpi.edu My research is focused on improving the resolution and reliability of inkjet printing conductive traces to expand the types of devices inkjet printing can be used to manufacture, such as sensors for human interfacing.

Raagini Rameshwar PhD Student Robotics Engineering rrameshwar@wpi.edu My research is focuses on robot arm teleoperation as a demonstration tool in a Learning from Demonstration context, as well as the use of soft robotic technology to provide haptic feedback during teleoperation.

Gaayathri Sankar MS Student Business School, Innovation with User Experience gsankar@wpi.edu My research is focuses on persona development using Type 2 diabietic patient Electronic Health Record (EHR) data to customize technology design based on risk factors related to health as well as demographics.

Vanessa Uzonwanne PhD Student Materials Science and Engineering vouzonwanne@wpi.edu My research focuses on the detection and treatment of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) cells by quantifying mechanical biomarkers (adhesion force and viscoelastic properties) and integrating robotics-assisted laser-nanoparticle interaction for localized hyperthermia treatment.

Zhuoyun Zhong PhD Student Robotics Engineering zzhong3@wpi.edu My research focuses on the development of assisted navigation interfaces for high-mobility nursing robots.