Trainees

Current Trainees

Marc Badger, Integrative Biology
Erin Brandt, Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Nicholas Burnett, Integrative Biology
Margaret Byron, Mechanical Engineering
Carlos Casarez, Mechanical Engineering
Sofia Chang, Integrative Biology
Evan Chang-Siu, Mechanical Engineering
Trevor Dolinajec, Biophysics Graduate Group
Dennis Evangelista, Integrative Biology
Duncan Haldane, Mechanical Engineering
Nate Hunt, Integrative Biology
Woody Hoburg, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Cherub Kim, Mechanical Engineering
Erica Kim, Biophysics Graduate Group
Nick Kohut, Integrative Biology
Jessica Lee, Mechanical Engineering
Leeann Louis, Integrative Biology
Michael McKinley, Mechanical Engineering
Stephen McKinley, Mechanical Engineering
Jean-Michel Mongeau, Biophysics Graduate Group
Jasmine Nirody, Biophysics Graduate Group
Carlos Oroza, Civil Engineering
Elias Patten, Mechanical Engineering
Cameron Rose, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Victor Shia, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Dwight Springthorpe, Integrative Biology
Ian Tse, Civil Engineering
Lindsay Waldrop, Integrative Biology

	Marc Badger Integrative Biology E-mail: mbadger[at]hmc.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am interested in how morphology allows organisms to perform as well as they do, and in using details of locomotion to illuminate their behavior and ecology. I am also interested in how organisms search the space of possible body configurations when solving physically challenging problems. Full Bio and Research Description
	Nicholas Burnett Integrative Biology E-mail: burnettnp[at]gmail.com Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am interested in the behavior of animals in extreme flow environments, such as the rocky intertidal zone. In particular, I am interested in the mechanical limitations of animal behavior in these conditions and the consequences these limitations have on the energetics and structure of the surrounding biotic community. Full Bio and Research Description
	Margaret Byron Civil/Environmental Engineering E-mail: mbyron[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I'm curious about turbulence, navigation, and the functional morphology of fish-- and the coupling between all of those things. In particular, I'm interested in the intermediate scales of turbulence, and the organisms that navigate flows in which they are alternately nektonic and planktonic. These animals' compromises between speed and maneuverability, and their adaptations to their unique environments, hold some of the keys to the development of efficient and effective autonomous underwater vehicles. Full Bio and Research Description
	Sofia Chang Integrative Biology E-mail: swchang[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am interested in the evasive behavior of insects capable of flight. Specifically, my research involves understanding the insect's adaptations, such as morphology, behavior and ecological context, which allow them to perform successful escapes. I study their jumping and flying performances under different environmental conditions. Full Bio and Research Description
	Evan Chang-Siu Mechanical Engineering E-mail: evancs[at]gmail.com Primary Focus Area: Control Research Interests: My research focuses on bio-inspired Mechatronics and robotics. Specifically I am interested in posture control of terrestrial locomotive robots through inertial methods. Full Bio and Research Description
	Trevor Dolinajec Biophysics E-mail: dolinajec[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Evolution Research Interests: I'm interested in the biomechanics and aerodynamics of fungal spores. Specifically, the conditions under which pathogenic fungal spores attach and remain attached to animal hosts. Full Bio and Research Description
	Dennis Evangelista Integrative Biology E-mail: devangel[at]berkeley.edu Website: http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/koehl/stud/dennis.html Primary Focus Area: Evolution Research Interests: I am interested in flight and swimming, gliding and parachuting, maneuvering and control; transitions through free surfaces, jumping, launching and landing, impact; agility, disturbance, control and turbulence, and interactions between flow and structures. I am also interested in the biomechanics of movements in plants. Full Bio and Research Description
	Duncan Haldane Mechanical Engineering E-mail: dhaldane[at]berkeley.edu Website: http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/koehl/stud/dennis.html Primary Focus Area: Materials Research Interests: My research focuses on the design of bio-inspired millirobots, exploring topics in dynamic similarity, passive stability and agile locomotion. Specifically I am interested in robust and high-speed animal adaptions in terrestrial locomotion, and locomotion in highly constrained environments. Full Bio and Research Description
	Woody Hoburg Electrical Engineering and Computer Science E-mail: whoburg[at]berkeley.edu Website: http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~whoburg/ Primary Focus Area: Control Research Interests: My research focuses on control, system identification, and learning. Full Bio and Research Description
	Nate Hunt Integrative Biology E-mail: nathaniel.hunt[at]berkeley.edu Research Interests: I am interested in using a dynamical systems framework to understand movement in biological and engineered systems. Specifically, I would like to investigate how neural, mechanical, and environmental systems interact in a way that leads to functional legged locomotion. Full Bio and Research Description
	Cherub Kim Mechanical Engineering E-mail: ckim88[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Materials Research Interests: I am interested in studying the mechanics of animal motion, specifically the action of muscles as non-linear springs in the realization of diverse animal motion. With this knowledge, I hope to build upon current springs to develop non-linear spring systems for mechanical systems. Full Bio and Research Description
	Erica Kim Biophysics Graduate Group E-mail: e.kim[at]berkeley.edu Website: http://web.me.com/ricaekim Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am interested in the evolution and biomechanics of flight in Trochilidae (hummingbirds). Understanding how such agile and extreme birds control, maneuver, and adapt, in particular, may lead to novel, bio-inspired designs. Full Bio and Research Description
	Nick Kohut Integrative Biology E-mail: kohut[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am interested in small, legged robots and their intersection with controls, dynamics, and biology. I am currently developing an active tail to execute rapid turning of a robot while running over terrain. Full Bio and Research Description
	Jessica Lee Mechanical Engineering E-mail: jessica.lee[at]pacbell.net Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am fascinated by animal locomotion and plan to research and design bio-inspired robots. Specifically, I would like to investigate the movements of an octopus and apply it to the field of soft robotics. Full Bio and Research Description
	Leeann Louis Integrative Biology E-mail: llouis[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am interested in the physiological and biomechanical implications of how organisms endure environmental stresses. Specifically, I am curious about birds and how they manage to fly or otherwise move around under extremes of temperature, wind, and other challenges. Full Bio and Research Description
	Michael McKinley Mechanical Engineering E-mail: mckgyver[at]gmail.com Website: http://mckgyver.pbworks.com/ Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: My research focuses on Mechatronics, Assistive Robotics, Human Machine Interaction, Bio-inspired Design. Full Bio and Research Description
	Stephen McKinley Mechanical Engineering E-mail: mckinley[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am fascinated by how legged organisms, specifically humans, interact and maneuver through their environment. My research focuses on restoring bipedal locomotion to paraplegics Full Bio and Research Description
	Jean-Michel Mongeau Biophysics Graduate Group E-mail: jmmongeau[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Materials Research Interests: I’m interested in neuromechanical principles that can help us understand how animals maneuver stably in natural environments. I use techniques in biomechanics and neurobiology to experimentally test hypotheses within an engineering framework and to inform the development of bio-inspired electromechanical systems. Full Bio and Research Description
	Jasmine Nirody Biophysics Graduate Group E-mail: jnirody[at]berkeley.edu Website: http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~jnirody/ Primary Focus Area: Control Research Interests: My research involves dynamical systems and their applications. Particularly, I am interested in using mathematical models in conjunction with experimental data to study problems in biology and mechanics. Full Bio and Research Description
	Carlos Oroza Civil Engineering E-mail: coroza[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: I am interested in the design of robotic sensors which operate in dynamic environments. I am specifically interested in the design and control of aquatic-sensor robots which must collaborate to gather data about a system which is more powerful than they are. Full Bio and Research Description
	Elias Patten Mechanical Engineering E-mail: epatten[at]me.berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Materials Research Interests: I study the tribological, fatigue, and strength properties of materials used in medical implants. Specifically, I have been looking at how polymers used in hip and knee implants wear and am currently designing and building a custom wear-testing machine. I am also interested in studying natural systems as inspiration for engineering solutions and researching practical solutions for sustainable, climate-friendly energy. Full Bio and Research Description
	Victor Shia Electrical Engineering and Computer Science E-mail: vshia[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Control Research Interests: I am interested in multi-agent control of micro-robots and bio-inspired robotics, and wireless sensor networks for search and rescue and health-care purposes. Full Bio and Research Description
	Dwight Springthorpe Integrative Biology E-mail: dspringthorpe[at[berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Control Research Interests: I am interested in how and why an animal transitions between its various control schemes. I am also interested in how these transitions relate to the neural and mechanical properties of that organism. Full Bio and Research Description
	Ian Tse Civil and Environmental Engineering E-mail: ian.tse[at]berkeley.edu Primary Focus Area: Mechanics Research Interests: My research interests focus on the physics of fluids in the natural environment and, recently, the interplay between fluid dynamics and biology. I am particularly interested in the physics of turbulence as it relates to the fate and transport of sediments, contaminants, and aquatic organisms that must navigate highly turbulent flows. I aim to design and utilize robust quantitative imaging techniques to experimentally quantify these complicated transport processes. Full Bio and Research Description
	Lindsay Waldrop Integrative Biology E-mail: lwaldrop[at]berkeley.edu Website: http://ib.berkeley.edu/labs/koehl/stud/lindsay.html Primary Focus Area: Materials Research Interests: Currently, I am studying how scaling affects odor sampling in marine and terrestrial crabs. Crabs have small tufts of chemosensory hairs which they move back and forth through their respective fluids in order to take and hold odor samples, or sniff. How fluid flows through these arrays is determined by their sizes and speeds, so I am also interested in how sniffing changes during growth and development. Full Bio and Research Description