People

Professor Gillespie received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis, M.S., and Ph.D. from Stanford University. At Stanford, he was associated both with the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) and the Dextrous Manipulation Laboratory. After his Ph.D., he spent three years as a postdoc at Northwestern University working in the Laboratory for Intelligent Machines (LIMS). Currently, he holds the position of Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Mark Nail received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2020 and his M.S. in Robotics from the University of Michigan in 2021. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Robotics at the University of Michigan, working under Dr. Brent Gillespie and Dr. Ella Atkins (Autonomous Aerospace Systems Lab).

Mark’s research interests include control, navigation, autonomy, and design of aerial vehicles for aerial manipulation.

Zachary Brei received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University with a minor in Computer Science in 2020. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan.

Zachary’s current research interest is the modeling and control of soft robotic systems.

Hannah Baez received her B.S. and M.S. in Robotics Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2020 and 2021 respectively. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the Robotics Institute at the University of Michigan jointly working under Prof. Nadine Sarter (THInC Lab) and Prof. Brent Gillespie.

Hannah’s research focuses on developing intuitive haptic communication interfaces for human-robot teams that share control of the same system. Hannah’s research interests include human-robot interaction, haptics, user safety, and cognitive ergonomics.

Hannah Kuperus received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University in 2021 and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2023. She is a current Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, working under Dr. Brent Gillespie and Dr. Stephen Kemp (Neuromuscular Lab)

Hannah’s research focuses on the development and control of a robotic rat exoskeleton that utilizes neural signals from Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs). Her research interests include dynamic modeling and simulation, controls, design, and haptics.

Alia Gilbert received her B.S. in Engineering (Robotics) from Arizona State University in 2020 and her M.S. in Robotics from the University of Michigan in 2022. She is a current Ph.D. Candidate in Robotics at the University of Michigan, working under Dr. Brent Gillespie and Dr. Dimitra Panagou (The Distributed Aerospace Systems and Control Lab)

Devon Kelley received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2021 and his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2022. He is a current Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, working under Dr. Brent Gillespie and Dr. Kira Barton (Barton Research Group).

Nick Janne received his B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2023. He is a current Ph.D. student in Robotics at the University of Michigan, working under Dr. Brent Gillespie and Dr. Chad Jenkins (The Laboratory for Progress).

Haochi Pan received his B.E. in Mechatronics Engineering from Guangdong University of Technology in 2022. He is a current master student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, working with Hannah Baez on human-robot haptic share control system.