Doctoral Students | |
Saiedeh Akbari Saiedeh Akbari graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology
in 2020. As an undergraduate, she researched discrete-time sliding mode control of permanent magnet DC motors. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Alabama with a master's degree in mechanical engineering,
delving into nonlinear and adaptive control of hybrid and switching systems. Her research focused on rehabilitation exoskeletons, particularly motorized functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycle. Currently,
Saiedeh is a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida, where she continues her studies on adaptive control of hybrid systems using Lyapunov and passivity-based methods. Her work aims to enhance the understanding
and application of adaptive control techniques in various systems, particularly in the context of FES cycles. She is expected to graduate in May 2027.
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Patrick Amy Patrick Amy received his Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2017.
He continued his education at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) where he earned a Master of Science in Engineering in Robotics in 2019. While completing his master’s degree, he worked in the Dynamical Systems
and Control Laboratory at JHU and the Naval Research Laboratory, in D.C. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering under the guidance of Dr. Warren Dixon. Expected graduation is May 2025.
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Gabriel Behrendt Gabriel Behrendt received his Bachelor of Science degree
in Mechanical Engineeringin 2020 from the University of Iowa tailored toward robotics and intelligent systems. He is currently pursuing his PhD in the Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Hale. His research interests include applications of nonlinear control and machine
learning to problems in robotics. His personal interests include staying active and cheering on Hawkeye wrestling.
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Alexander Benvenuti Alexander Benvenuti received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the
University of Florida in 2021. He is currently a PhD student under the advisement of Dr. Matthew Hale in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UF. His research interests include
differential privacy and its applications to swarm guidance and task assignment.
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Anirban Bhattacharya Anirban Bhattacharya is a Ph.D.
student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. He completed his BS degree from the Jadavpur University, India, with a major in Electronics
and Instrumentation Engineering. His research interests are in the areas of communications, machine learning, and control. He is currently applying reinforcement
learning to problems involving RF sensing in the context of pursuit and evasion.
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Caleb Bowyer Caleb Bowyer is a Ph.D. student in the Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hampden-Sydney college
with a major in Applied Physics and minors in Math and Astronomy. His research interests are in the areas of control and communications. He is
currently working as a member of Team GatorWings to develop reinforcement learning solutions for optimizing spectrum usage in the DARPA Spectrum Collaboration Challenge.
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Alper Bozkurt Alper Kamil Bozkurt is a Ph.D. student
in computer science at Duke University and a member of CPSL@Duke. His research interests focus on High-Assurance Design of Autonomous Systems, AI,
Reinforcement Learning, Cyber-Physical Systems.
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Bo Chen Bo Chen received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in
aerospace engineering in June 2017 from Northwestern Polytechnical University, China, and his Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering in May
2019 from the University of Florida. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering under the guidance of Dr. Hale. His research
interests include differential privacy and its applications in Markov decision processes and reinforcement learning.
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Joseph Choi Joseph is a fourth-year PhD computer engineering student. His research interests
involve privacy-preserving computing: investigating the current state-of-the-art, determining the challenges to deployment, and looking to both existing and emerging
hardware technologies for making privacy-preserving computing more tractable where alternative techniques grounded in strong cryptography are at times prohibitively slow.
Joseph received his BS degree from the University of Miami.
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Oscar Chuy Oscar Chuy is a first-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at the
University of Florida. His research interests include time-varying optimization, computation-aware control, and mobile robotics.
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Davide Costigliola Davide Costigliola is investigating relative navigation and control
for spacecraft at the University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Bevilacqua. In particular , he is interested in stereovision-based pose and inertia estimation
of unknown and uncooperative space objects. He has an undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Rome
"La Sapienza" (2016), and was part of "Sapienza Space Team" (2018), dealing with the ground station segment.
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Sage Edwards Sage Edwards graduated from Youngstown State University (YSU) in the spring of 2019 with a Bachelor of Engineering in
Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Physics. As an undergraduate, Sage interned at LG Fuel Cell Systems and worked in Dr. Tom Oder’s Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Lab at YSU.
Sage is currently pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering, with a focus on nonlinear controls under the supervision of Dr. warren Dixon.
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Mahmoud Elfar Mahmoud Elfar is a Ph.D. student in computer engineering
at Duke University and a member of CPSL@Duke. His research interests include using formal methods and model checking techniques to build human-centric
cyber-physical systems. Prior to his doctoral studies, he worked in the industry in research and development, embedded software engineering, and product design.
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Caroline Fedele Caroline Fedele is a PhD student in Computer Science at the
University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Butler. In May 2021, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor’s
degree in Physics. As part of the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity (FICS) research, her focus is on privacy-preserving computing. In particular, she is looking into
advanced encryption schemes, hybrid models, and secure outsourcing of data processing for systems with limited resources, such as UAVs and other autonomous systems.
Caroline is a NASA Pathways intern working in practical security measures for space communications and navigation.
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Anne French Captain Anne French is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering at Duke University and is a member of both the Humans and Autonomy Lab and the Cyber Physical Systems Lab at Duke. Captain French is a cyber warfare
officer in the United States Air Force and was one of three Air Force officers selected to begin earning a Ph.D. in a STEM field of study at a civilian institution during
the Fall 2020 semester. Her research interests include machine learning and human-autonomous system collaboration. She holds a Master of Science in computer science from
the University of Washington, and two Bachelor of Science degrees from Austin Peay State University: one in mathematics and another in computer science.
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Nick Furioso Nick Furioso is a
Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the Space Weather Impacts, Forecasting
and Transit (SWIFT) Lab at the University of Florida under the advisement of Dr. Alicia Petersen. He graduated
summa cum laude with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University at Buffalo in May 2023.
His research interests include the study of heliophysics, modeling associated phenomena, and using this knowledge
to understand the impact of space weather on spacecraft, aircraft, and human life. Ultimately, he would like
to minimize the impact that these dynamical systems impose on people and our space-driven goals.
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David Galarza David Galarza received his Bachelor of
Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2023 from SUNY Maritime College. He is currently a first-year
Ph.D. student in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Florida in the
Space Weather Impacts, Forecasting and Transit Lab (SWIFT) under Dr. Alicia Petersen.
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Parham Gohari Parham Gohari is pursuing a Ph.D. in
electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include safety and privacy in autonomous systems. He is under the
supervision of Dr. Ufuk Topcu and works closely with Dr. Matthew Hale from the University of Florida. Prior to his graduate studies, Parham attended
Sharif University of Technology where he received his B.Sc. also in electrical engineering.
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Emily Griffis Emily Griffis recieved her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering
from the University of Florida in May 2020. While completing her undergraduate degree, she interned at Exactech and was an active member of the UF chapter of
ASME, leading one of their design teams. Her research focuses primarily on human-robot interactions and rehabilitative robotics. She is currently pursuing
a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering under the supervision of Dr. Warren Dixon. Expected graduation is May 2024.
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Marcello Guarro Marcello Guarro is a third year Computer Engineering
Graduate Student at University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2010, he received a B.S. in Applied Physics with a Minor in Italian Studies from the
University of California, Santa Cruz. Marcello was a Research Associate at the Bay Area Environmental Institute and a Systems Integration Engineer
at Daimier Trucks North America. His research interests lie in the scope of mechatronics, control systems for automotive transmissions, and robotics.
Marcello has a particular interest in autonomous systems and the design of mechatronic systems for automotive and aerospace applications.
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Spencer Hallyburton Spencer Hallyburton is a Ph.D.
student in Duke University’s Cyber Physical Systems Lab. Prior to his doctoral studies, he was a navigation engineer at Draper developing next-generation
secure and assured navigation and control algorithms for the defense industry, including as a part of R-EGI and derivatives of DARPA Fast-Lightweight-Autonomy.
His research pursuits include resilient perception, assured autonomy, and learning-based GNC algorithms. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Harvard University in physics.
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Rebecca Hart Rebecca Hart received her Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North
Carolina State University in May 2022. During her undergraduate career, she participated in undergraduate research investigating fluidic artificial muscles, a co-op with Kimberly Clark,
and was an active member of the Pack Motorsports BAJA team. Her research interests are focused on human-robot interaction and rehabilitative robotics. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D.
in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Warren Dixon. Expected graduation is May 2026.
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Calvin Hawkins Calvin Hawkins is a PhD student
at the University of Florida under the advisement of Dr. Hale. He received his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State
University in May, 2019. His current research interests are broadly in the area of privacy in control, with an emphasis on bringing differential
privacy to new classes of data typically used by control systems and quantifying the effects of privacy upon feedback.
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Ryan Johnson Ryan S. Johnson received his B.S. and M.S. degrees
in Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014 and 2017, respectively. From 2014 to 2018, he worked at Moog Aircraft
Group as a Systems Engineer for the Airbus A350, Gulfstream G600, and special programs. In 2018, he interned at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a
Flight Systems Engineer for the NISAR spacecraft. His research interests include modeling, stability, observer design, model-predictive control, and
simulation of hybrid systems with applications to aerospace, robotics, and power systems. His current research project aims to develop a hybrid control
algorithm which permits operation of a DC to DC boost converter circuit under uncertainty in the circuit parameters.
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Amir Khazrei Amir Khazraei received his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering
from Amirkabir University of Technology in 2014 and M.Sc degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2017 from the University of Tehran. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D.
degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Pajic at Duke University. His research focuses on attack resilient cyber-physical systems, control
theory and machine learning
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Santiago Jimenez Leudo Santiago Jimenez-Leudo received his
B.S. Degrees in Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in 2014 and his M.S. Degree in Electronic and Computer Engineering in 2017, both from
University of Los Andes, Colombia. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Computer Engineering and Robotics at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
He was an instructor professor at University of Los Andes in 2018-2019, and was also a fellow of the control research group GIAP. He is currently a
graduate fellow of the Hybrid Systems Laboratory at University of California, Santa Cruz. His research interests include: hybrid and nonlinear control
systems, differential games, multi-agent systems, and their applications to robotic networks, UAVs and biological systems. Santiago is a recipient of
the Fullbright Scholarship for high level skills in Information Technologies-Robotics, 2018.
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Ciku Makumi Ciku Makumi received her Bachelors of
Science degree in May 2020 from the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State University and UNC Chapel Hill. Her research interests
are focused on human-robot interaction and rehabilitative robotics. She is currently pursing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision
of Dr. Warren Dixon. Expected graduation is May 2024.
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Joshua Marker Joshua Marker is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Florida Atlantic University. His research interests include communication networks, graph theory, and machine learning. He is currently developing techniques for detection of bottlenecks in networks of networks. | |
Cristian Nino Cristian Nino graduated from the University of Florida in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical
Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. As an undergraduate, Cristian was a robotics research assistant across six research labs, as well as a senior design teaching assistant for
two years. Cristian is currently pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Warren Dixon. His research interests include online reinforcement learning,
stochastic control, and network control applied multi-agent guidance and optimization. His expected graduation is May 2026.
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Eric Partika Eric Partika is a Master's student in the Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. In 2020 he received a B.S. in Robotics Engineering with a minor in Electrical Engineering from UC Santa
Cruz. His research interests include hybrid systems, autonomous systems, cyber-physical systems, path planning, and motion planning.
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Jhyv Philor Jhyv Philor received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University
of Florida. During his undergraduate studies, he did research in keywords spotting for hearing aid devices using deep learning techniques at the University of Washington. He later worked
with Dioxide Materials focusing on fuel cell design and CO2 electrolyzer scale up. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering under Dr. Warren Dixon with an interest in robotics and autonomous systems.
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Ellie Pond Ellie Pond received Bacheor of Science degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from
the University of Florida in 2021. She is continuing her education at UF by pursuing a PhD under the guidance of Dr. Matthew Hale in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Her
research interests include asynchronous, decentralized optimization.
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Adam Pooley Adam Pooley is a first-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida.
His research interests include time-varying optimization, computation-aware control, and mobile robotics.
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Yagiz Savas Yagiz Savas joined the Department of Aerospace Engineering at
the University of Texas at Austin as a Ph.D. student in Fall 2017. He received his B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bogazici University in 2017. He is
broadly interested in designing autonomous systems that operate in uncertain environments with provable safety and performance guarantees. His recent research
focuses on the theoretical and algorithmic aspects of sequential decision-making in the presence of adversaries through novel connections between controls,
information theory, and formal methods.
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April Sebok April Sebok received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida in 2022.
She will begin her PhD studies in Spring 2023 under the advisement of Dr. Hale. Her research interests include differential privacy and its applications to multiagent systems.
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Xuehui Shen Xuehui Shen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Automotive Engineering from
Wuhan University of Technology. In 2023, she got a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in robotics and control track from Columbia University. During her graduate
studies, she participated in Roar Lab to do robotics research about deep reinforcement learning and parallel robots. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
under Dr. Warren Dixon. Her research interests are focused on robotics and motion planning under deep learning techniques. The expected graduation is May 2027.
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Yi Shen Yi Shen received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Shandong University, China in 2017 and a master’s degree in Systems Engineering from University of Pennsylvania, USA in 2019. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Duke University. His research interests lie in optimization, reinforcement learning and causal inference. | |
Kavinayan Sivakumar Kavinayan Sivakumar received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University in 2018 and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Duke University. His research interests include multi-agent robotics, learning, control, and artificial intelligence. | |
Dave (Jing) Tian Dave is a final year PhD student working in trustworthy computing, device security, and systems security. He has published extensively at the top conferences in computer security and will be starting at Purdue University this fall as an Assistant Professor in Computer Science. | |
Nan Wang Nan Wang received his B.S. degree in Automation Science and
Engineering from the East China University of Science and Technology, China, in 2015. He received his M.S. degree in Control Theory and Engineering
from the Tongji University, China, in 2018. Nan is currently a Ph.D student in Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz with
Hybrid Systems Laboratory. His primary research interests include: motion planning for hybrid systems, motion planning and decision making for
autonomous systems.
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Tyler Ward Tyler Ward is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. He graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida.
His research interests include nonlinear control theory, autonomous vehicles, image processing and classification, machine learning, and software-defined
radio. He is currently conducting research engaged on localization of RF sources using reinforcement learning techniques, and is also a member of Team
GatorWings, a team that has already won $1.5 million in the ongoing DARPA Spectrum Collaboration Challenge.
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William Warke William Warke received his Bachelor's
degree in Computer Engineering from LeTourneau University in 2014, and is currently pursuing his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the
University of Florida with a concentration in Dynamics, Systems, and Control. He will be continuing on to the Ph.D. program in fall 2019
under the advisement of Dr. Matthew Hale as a member of the Control, Optimization, and Robotics Engineering (CORE) Lab. His research
interests include estimation and control of autonomous vehicles and distributed, multi-agent optimization.
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Paul Wintz Paul Wintz is a PhD student in Applied
Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He received a B.S. in Engineering/Physics from Westmont College in 2016 and a M.S. in
Scientific Computing and Applied Mathematics from UC Santa Cruz in 2020. The topic of his master's thesis was the hybrid optimal control of a
noncirclular wheel colliding with a wall. Paul joined the Hybrid Systems Laboratory in 2020 and his research interests include optimal control,
model predictive control, and hybrid systems on manifolds.
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Nathan Wu NNathan Wu is a Ph.D. student in the
Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of California Santa Cruz, under the supervision of Professor Ricardo Sanfelice. He received a B.S.
in 2018 and a M.S. in 2019, both in Electrical Engineering and from the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests include hybrid systems,
machine learning, and parameter estimation for closed loop systems.
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Wenyu "David" Wu Wenyu Wu received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and
Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He got a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. During his graduate studies,
he participated in the CERLAB to perform research in the field of learning-based control and robotics. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering under Dr. Warren Dixon.
His research interest is the application of deep learning algorithms in control scenarios for better performance. His expected graduation date is May 2027.
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