Faculty
Email: cdonal@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x4857
An integral part of a rewarding academic career is being an educator. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with students and guide their development to fulfill their potential. I enjoy teaching the fundamentals of robotics engineering, science and technology as well as training students in advanced independent research. I aim to teach students about research-based thinking and problem solving, to give them a real career choice to determine their future in further research or the industry. ...
Email: glewin@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x5587
Dr. Lewin is the Associate Head of Robotics Engineering. He teaches courses that focus on system integration, sensor and data processing, and system design. Prior to joining WPI, Dr. Lewin was an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia, where he directed the Technology Leaders Program, an interdisciplinary engineering program focusing on the design of cyber-physical systems. He has performed research and development of sensor systems, turbomachinery, energy systems, and robots in both academic and industrial settings. ...
Email: cpinciroli@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6853
The focus of my research is designing innovative tools for swarm robotics. I am developing Buzz, a programming language specifically designed for real-world robot swarms. During my Ph.D., I have designed ARGoS, which is currently the fastest general-purpose robot simulator in the literature. Recent work focuses on human-swarm interaction and multi-robot learning. I am also working on swarm robotics solutions for disaster response scenarios, such as search-and-rescue and firefighting.
Email: mmaghelih@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6866
I genuinely enjoy teaching and interacting with students. I am both an instructor and a researcher at heart and believe that teaching and research are complementary as they advance one another. ...
Email: valoi@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6280
Vincent Aloi’s doctoral degree was awarded from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2022. They received their bachelors of science in mechanical engineering and masters of science in system dynamics and controls. Their graduate research focused on continuum robotics and covered mechanical modeling, sensing, and controlling flexible structures. This research has been published and presented to various IEEE robotics conferences and journals. Currently, Vince has shifted focus to engineering education and helping students achieve their academic and research goals. ...
Email: bcalli@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x5448
Berk’s research primarily focuses on problems related to robotic manipulation, which is a key functionality largely missing from the current state of the art in robotics for unstructured environments, including homes, modern warehouses, and collaborative manufacturing stations. He develops multi-modal robotic manipulation strategies mainly focusing on the role of vision feedback for coping with uncertainties of unstructured environments. ...
Email: cchamzas@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6294
I am an Assistant Professor in Robotics Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. ...
Email: lchen9@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6641
Liaohai Leo Chen earned his PhD in Chemistry from University of Rochester, New York in 1997. Following the graduation, he did his postdoc training in Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), New Mexico for two years, and then became a technical staff in Los Alamos. In 2001, he moved to Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), first as an assistant Molecular Biologist and later as a Molecular Biologist (tenured equivalent). ...
Email: lfichera@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x5021
My research interests are in the application of robotics and computer science to enhance medicine, and particularly surgery. What gets me out of bed in the morning is the prospect of helping doctors save lives and improve the quality of life of their patients. My students and I work side-by-side with clinical collaborators to create technology that presents a tangible clinical value – for instance, making an existing surgical procedure more accurate or enabling new procedures that are not feasible with current instrumentation. ...
Email: gfischer@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x5261
Professor Fischer is the William Smith Dean’s Professor and a faculty member in Robotics Engineering with a appointments in Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at WPI. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from Johns Hopkins University, where he was part of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Computer Integrated Surgery. At WPI he has been an integral part of developing the Robotics Engineering program and teaches primarily junior-level and graduate courses in Robotics. ...
Email: kleahy@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6293
Kevin Leahy is an Assistant Professor in Robotics Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His current work involves AI for autonomous systems, with an emphasis on formal methods and multi-agent systems. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017, his MS degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2016, and his BA in Economics in 2009, all from Boston University. From 2017 to 2023, he was a member of the Technical Staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. ...
Email: gli7@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x4636
Bio
Dr. Guanrui Li earned his Ph.D. at New York University, USA, supervised by Prof. Giuseppe Loianno, Associate Professor at UC Berkeley, EECS. He obtained his Master degree in Robotics from the GRASP Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, supervised by Prof. Mark Yim, and his Bachelor degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Sun Yat-sen University, where he was recognized as an Honors Undergraduate.
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Email: zli11@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6351
My research bridges the gap between human-robot interaction and human movement science. I am particularly interested in the design of human-robot interfaces and assistive robot autonomy, based on the understanding of the perception-action coupling of humans and cyber-human systems. At WPI, I primarily work on tele-nursing robots and assisted teleoperation interfaces. I also have extensive experience in exoskeletons for rehabilitation and tele-surgical robots.
Email: cmccann1@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x5004
Connor McCann is an Assistant Professor in the Robotics Engineering department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on hybrid-stiffness mechanisms at the intersection of rigid and soft robotics. He is interested in the underlying mechanics that govern the non-trivial interactions between rigid and soft materials, and how these interactions can enable advanced, highly functional behavior in robots. ...
Email: gpittiglio@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x5127
I am a tenure track assistant professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and principal investigator of FuTURE Lab. I am interested in the design and control of continuum robots for diagnosis and treatment of cancerous tissue or faulty organs deep in the anatomy. Previous to becoming an assistant professor, I was a postdoctoral research fellow in Boston Children’s Hospital - Harvard Medical School. I received my B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and M.S. in Robotics and Automation from the University of Pisa, Italy. I received the M. Res. ...
Email: arosendo@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6178
I deeply enjoy teaching courses where students combine theoretical components to a practical application. I have been a faculty at ShanghaiTech University, China, for five years, where I created syllabi and taught two courses on Robotics for over four years.
While in China I organized outreach activities, teaching Scratch programming to children from low-income neighborhoods in Shanghai. Here in WPI my MQPs usually combine machine learning algorithms with robots and manipulators, or cool/innovative inventions that my students may have! ...
Email: nitin@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6392
I envision a future where we are surrounded by small robots doing various tasks such as pollinating flowers, searching for survivors, carrying payloads, entertaining us and even as our personal pets/companions. To advance autonomy on these tiny mobile robots with on-board sensing and computation, we draw inspiration from nature’s experts – insects, birds and other small beings. ...
Email: gftabor@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6599
I am Assistant Teaching Professor in the Robotics Engineering department with a passion for robotics education. Like many students here, a lot of my high-school experience was defined by my participation in robotics competitions. In 2018, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering here at WPI. I got my PhD from the University of Utah under Dr. Tucker Hermans focusing on motion planning, control and numerical optimization for robotics. ...
Email: jxiao2@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6363
My research spans robotics, haptics, multi-modal perception, and artificial intelligence, at the intersection of computer science and engineering. There are two highly related themes in my robotics research: one is the focus on “contact sport”, i.e., the contact and interaction between a robot or a part/tool it holds and the environment, and the other is real-time adaptiveness of robots to uncertainty and uncertain changes in an environment based on perception. ...
Email: fyuan3@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x4630
At WPI, I lead the Socially Intelligent Robotics for Healthcare (RoboCare) Lab. My research primarily focuses on socially assistive robotics, multimodal human-robot interaction, and human-centered AI to enhance dementia care and other healthcare applications. Motivated by the needs of individuals with dementia and their families, I am dedicated to developing AI and robotic systems to better care for those affected by dementia. ...
Email: hzhang10@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6892
The research program led by Dr. Haichong (Kai) Zhang focuses on the interface of medical robotics, sensing, and imaging, and to develop a novel biomedical imaging systems that delineates both anatomical and physiological properties of a biological tissue that have been inaccessible. In addition, we will develop robotic assisted imaging systems as well as image-guided robotic interventional platforms, where ultrasound and photoacoustic (PA) imaging are two key modalities to be investigated and integrated with robotics. ...
Staff
Email: jkelley1@wpi.edu
As one of the lab managers for the Robotics Engineering Department at WPI, I focus on developing and maintaining creative lab spaces for robotics students. I've spent 12+ years working in STEM education, teaching courses in physics, engineering, and computer science. I hold a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and B.A. in Physics from the University of Rhode Island as well as an M.A. in Physics Education. The most impactful moments in my education always happened when I was given the space and tools to creatively solve problems with my peers. ...
Email: skelting@wpi.edu
I’m an experienced Operations Manager in the nation’s first department in Robotics Engineering (RBE) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). I have a deep passion for life-long learning and a strong dedication to our students. I love finding ways to streamline processes, boost operational efficiency, and create a collaborative and supportive environment. ...
Email: colleen@wpi.edu
Email: rsmith6@wpi.edu
Phone: +1 (508) 8315000 x6554
I’m a Robotics Lab Manager for the Robotics Engineering (RBE) department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). I hold a B.S. in Robotics Engineering Technology from Purdue University. In my role, I manage the robotics lab spaces, ensuring they are properly set up for classes and run efficiently. I also support the MQP lab, assisting students with the resources they need for their projects while maintaining a safe and organized workspace. My areas of expertise include CAD, 3D printing, electronics, and various hands-on robotics techniques.
