Background

I joined the Aerospace Engineering faculty at UIUC in August 2006. I received a B.S. in Engineering and a B.A. in Mathematics from Swarthmore College in 1999. I received a M.S. in 2000, then a Ph.D. in 2005, both in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. My dissertation focused on motion planning for large free-climbing robots, which (like human free-climbers) rely only on frictional contact with rock features, not tools like pitons. This research led to a working implementation on a real robot, in cooperation with NASA-JPL. Most recently, I was a postdoctoral fellow in Computer Science at Stanford University, where I extended this work to a variety of other legged robots, including a humanoid and a hexapod for lunar exploration.

Research Interests

I develop tools for motion analysis, planning, and control. These tools include geometric search algorithms, methods of model reduction, and convex optimization routines that take advantage of problem structure. I am applying these tools to a diverse set of mechanical and biological systems: legged robots for planetary exploration, autonomous sail-planes for atmospheric and environmental science, neuro-prosthetic devices with a control interface designed using biological principles, and robotic manipulators for intelligent machining of deformable objects. All of these applications are safety-critical, so there is a strong emphasis on trust: tools must be practical, easy to implement, and have verifiable performance guarantees.

Personal Interests

Moving to one of the flattest places in the country presents a personal challenge, since I enjoy bouldering, rock climbing, and mountaineering. So, in my "spare time," I am building a climbing gym in my garage. Meanwhile, my wife Andrea and I are making do with long-distance cycling and a puppy named Juno.