About Me

I am originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts, but grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I've been passionate about mathematics and computer programming for most of my life, and developed an interest in robotics in high school as a member of FIRST Robotics Team 3322.

During my undergraduate studies, I worked as a research assistant at the Laboratory for Progress, under the direction of Professor Chad Jenkins. Our research focused on manifold learning and its applications in robotics -- for example, we developed a technique to make manifold learning more robust in the presence of data noise. This technique was the basis for my first publication, TSBP: Tangent Space Belief Propagation for Manifold Learning, which appeared in Robotics and Automation: Letters (RA-L).

Now, at MIT, I'm advised by Russ Tedrake, and work in the Robot Locomotion Group. Our research focuses on motion planning, primarily for robotic manipulation tasks. I'm particularly interested in developing novel algorithms that exploit underlying geometric structure to help robots move faster, safer, and more elegantly.

Outside of the classroom (and outside of the lab), music is an important part of my life. I played cymbals for the Michigan Marching Band from 2017 through 2021, performing a variety of classical and contemporary music before crowds of over 110,000. You can find a short playlist with videos of some of my favorite performances here. I was the Cymbal Section Rank Leader in 2020 and 2021 -- my responsibilities included running rehearsals, training and evaluating new members, writing show music, and designing visual performances. Besides marching band, I was also a member of the Michigan Hockey Pep Band, and participated in concert percussion chamber ensembles. I also play piano.