ABOUT ME
Originally from Simpsonville, SC, I attended Clemson University for my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. In 2022, I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering advised by Dr. Jim Schmiedeler (left) and Dr. Pat Wensing (right). My dissertation work specifically aimed to identify human gait speed intentions for lower-limb exoskeletons. After Notre Dame, I took a postdoc position at UT Austin with Dr. Ann Majewicz Fey working on optimal haptic guidance strategies for surgical robotics. In 2023 I will start as an assistant professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee where I will continue my work to increase the fluency of a broad spectrum of human/robot interactions.
EDUCATION
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Control of Legged Robots
One of my Ph.D. advisors, Dr. Jim Schmiedeler, is the owner of ERNIE, a 5-link underactuated biped used for experimenting with novel control designs. Another of my advisors, Dr. Pat Wensing, is building a Cheetah robot in the ROAM lab just like the Cheetah quadruped that originated from MIT.
2017 - 2022
University of Notre Dame
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
Robotics and Controls
Optimization
Optimal control theory is the method by which we solve for an optimal control input to guide a robotic system to it's goals. For legged robots this means trajectory optimization and path planning.
Biomechanics of Human Gait
Human gait has long-since been a model of what robust and efficient robotic locomotion should look like. Robots have a long way to go yet before they will be able to traverse a world built for humans. Template models, like the Dual Spring Loaded Inverted Pendulum Model, reveal some of the major dynamics at play for all human locomotion. My research aims to leverage these models to improve robotic and exoskeleton gait.
Human Robot Interaction
Humans are complex. Robots are complex. When you combine the two into a wearable robotic device like an exoskeleton, it certainly doesn't get simpler. The bulk of my research involves discerning small changes in the robot/human interaction to identify when the human has changed their intended gait parameters.
2013 - 2017
Clemson University
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Calhoun Honors College
