I am a PhD candidate in Computer Science and Engineering at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am working with Benjamin Kuipers in the Intelligent Robotics Lab. My research involves artificial intelligence and robotics, specifically robotic manipulation through object affordances and human-robot interaction in safety-critical applications. I have my MS in Computer Science and Engineering. I am also a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) graduate student researcher and a NASA Pathways intern. Through these opportunities, I get to apply my research on robotic manipulation on the Valkyrie robot and work closely with the ER4 Dexterous Robotics Team at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

I graduated summa cum laude with a BA from Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois with a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science, a Spanish minor, and completion of the Honors Program. As an undergrad, I participated in a number of research projects as well as summer research experiences involving autonomous cars and autonomous UAVs.

My goal is to work at NASA's Johnson Space Center to develop robots that can assist with human space flight. In my career, I want to inspire students from minoritized groups to pursue research in STEM fields and promote inclusion and diversity in STEM education. I have previous industry experience at NASA's Johnson Space Center and TRACLabs and teaching experience as a tutor, graduate student instructor, and research mentor.

See my CV for more details.

News

March 2024 My work on "Multi-Fingered End-Effector Grasp Reflex Modeling for One-Shot Tactile Servoing in Tool Manipulation Tasks" recognized as part of the NASA JSC's Dexterous Robotics Team's Valkyrie Robot Capability Demonstration. See the NASA New Technology Release (NTR), video, and recognition for my contribution to the team's efforts.
March 2024 Submitted paper on "Multi-Fingered End-Effector Grasp Reflex Modeling for One-Shot Tactile Servoing in Tool Manipulation Tasks" to IEEE IROS 2024. Paper under review.
February to May 2024 VTE at NASA JSC as part of NSTGRO funding.
December 2023 Earned a NASA Johnson Space Center ER Division Individual Excellence Award for my work on autonomous tool grasping and manipulation with Valkyrie.
December 2023 Earned a NASA Johnson Space Center ER Division Team Excellence Award for my technical contributions and robot ops support to the Dexterous Robotics Team's year-end demo.
May to August 2023 Pathways tour at NASA JSC as part of Pathways Internship.
March to August 2023 VTE at NASA JSC as part of NSTGRO funding.
August 2022 Earned a NASA Johnson Space Center ER Division Team Excellence Award for my technical contributions and robot ops support to the Dexterous Robotics Team's year-end demo.
May to August 2022 VTE at NASA JSC as part of NSTGRO funding.
May 2022 Earned a NASA Johnson Space Center ER Division Individual Excellence Award for my work on affordance template registration, integration with stance generation, and VR on Valkyrie.
May 2022 Contributed paper accepted and presented poster at International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).
April 2022 Invited talk at Monmouth College.
January to May 2022 Pathways tour at NASA JSC as part of Pathways Internship.
November 2021 Earned position as a NASA Pathways Intern at Johnson Space Center.
May to August 2021 Visiting Technologist Experience (VTE) at NASA's Johnson Space Center as part of NSTGRO funding.
July 2021 Extended abstract accepted and presented poster at RSS Workshop on Declarative and Neurosymbolic Representations in Robot Learning and Control.
July 2021 Extended abstract accepted and presented poster at RSS Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Manipulation for Robotics.
May 2021 Earned an MS in Computer Science and Engineering at University of Michigan.
August 2020 Earned NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) fellowship for my proposal FAME: Fast Affordance Manipulation Execution. Featured in University of Michigan article and Monmouth College article.
June to August 2019 Internship with TRACLabs in Webster, Texas working on multi-objective control.