I have continued working under Dr. Cagdas Onal in the Soft Robotics Lab at WPI.

As a researcher, my projects include:

• Investigating dynamic models for the continuum spine in order to accurately predict and control the robots’ behavior
• Designing and building new versions of our origami-inspired continuum actuators to improve operation speed and manufacturing
• Developing simulation of origami actuator in Webots

As a lab coordinator, my responsibilities include:

• Organizing and running weekly meetings
• Managing lab space
• Sending out announcements
• Coordinating and hosting tours of the lab

I worked under Dr. Cagdas Onal in the Soft Robotics Lab at WPI. While a NSF Graduate Research Fellow, I was involved with the following projects:

• Lizard Team: Collaborated with a team of graduate students to investigate methods of enabling a soft lizard-inspired continuum-spined wheeled robot to traverse uneven terrain, including executing mechanical design updates to improve functionality and incorporate sensors for SLAM
• Quadruped Team: Collaborated with another graduate student to develop a soft quadruped robot with a flexible spine. Responsible for deriving inverse kinematics, developing a Webots simulation, and assisting with mechanical design
• Origami-Inspired Continuum Actuator - Modeling: Investigated dynamic models for the continuum spine in order to accurately predict and control the robots’ behavior
• Wearable Assistive Device: Designed a wearable device to assist those with hearing loss

• Worked with the LANDO team for a second summer on the Lightweight Surface Manipulation System (LSMS), a robotic crane for surface operations on the Moon or Mars
• Developed dynamic model of and began controller design for an underactuated double pendulum mounted at the end of a robot arm as an analogy for controlling a payload’s oscillations at the end of the LSMS
• Designed, manufactured, and assembled the double pendulum system to be mounted on a UR3 robot

• Worked with the LANDO team on the Lightweight Surface Manipulation System (LSMS), a robotic crane for surface operations on the Moon or Mars
• Drafted a literature review comparing the LSMS to existing robotic cranes and investigating empirical dynamic modeling and system identification techniques to support simulation and controller design
• Developed Python/MATLAB scripts for deriving serial arm dynamic and energy equations
• Supported hardware development

• Constructed an improved version of the low-cost quadruped robot developed during the Excel summer research program, achieving a total cost of approximately $160
• Characterized IR sensors and custom force sensors
• Developed basic autonomous navigation to avoid obstacles using IR sensors
• Developed a simulation environment in Webots for rapid software development and testing
• Investigated dynamic balancing by implementing a novel method of recovering from disturbances in Python, which involved leaning against small side loads and side-stepping to recover from larger impacts

• Constructed a low-cost quadruped robot in preparation for senior thesis project
• Designed printed circuit boards, 3D-printed components, and force sensors for each foot
• Developed software in Python and Arduino to implement active compliance and walking mechanisms

• Developed a quadruped robot based on the open-source project openDog by James Bruton with another student and mechanical engineering professor
• Wrote Python scripts using ROS to develop walking mechanisms that laid the groundwork for the 2019-2020 Lafayette OpenDog Senior Design Team
• Modified and designed various components of the hip and leg systems

Working as teaching assistant (TA) for RBE 501: Robot Dynamics. Responsibilities include:

• Holding office hours to answer student questions
• Grading assignments

• Mentoring a team of undergraduate students working on a flexible-spined hexapod robot for their senior capstone project
• Guiding students by helping them define the scope of their projects, meeting with them weekly to ensure they were on schedule and to answer questions, and aiding with documentation
• Assisted them in writing and submitting a conference paper to the IEEE-RAS International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft 2025)

• Mentored two teams of undergraduate students (one team each year) working on a continuum mobile robot for pipe inspection for their senior capstone projects
• Guided students by helping them define the scope of their projects, meeting with them weekly to ensure they were on schedule and to answer questions, and aiding with documentation

• Provided one-on-one tutoring for students in PHYS 111: General Physics – Mechanics and Thermodynamics, PHYS 131: Physics I – Mechanics, PHYS 133: Physics II – Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves, ES 226: Statics, and ME 240: Dynamic
• Completed CRLA Level 1 Tutor Certification by participating in regular training sessions

• Led and prepared material for group sessions to reinforce concepts and applications of course content, including review worksheets in preparation for exams
• Held drop-in sessions to work individually with students
• Successfully transitioned from in-person to online sessions in compliance with Lafayette’s shift to remote learning in March 2020 due to the pandemic.