Dr. Sarah Bergbreiter joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University as a Professor in the fall of 2018 after spending ten years at the University of Maryland, College Park. She started her academic career with a B.S.E. degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University in 1999. After a short introduction to the challenges of sensor networks at a small startup company, she received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and 2007 with a focus on microrobotics. Prof. Bergbreiter received the DARPA Young Faculty Award in 2008, the NSF CAREER Award in 2011, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2013 for her research on engineering robotic systems down to sub-millimeter size scales. She has received several Best Paper awards at conferences like ICRA, IROS, and Hilton Head Workshop, and is a Fellow of the ASME. She also served as Vice Chair of DARPA’s Microsystems Exploratory Council from 2020 through 2022.

Dr. Murphey's research focuses on computational methods in dynamics and control, with applications in neuroscience, health science, robotics, and automation. The group focuses on computational models of embedded control, biomechanical simulation, dynamic exploration, and hybrid control.  The mathematical approaches used by the group lead to many orders of magnitude improvement in computational efficiency for reliable real-time implementation. Applications include assistive exoskeleton control, stabilization of energy networks, bio-inspired active sensing, entertainment robots, robotic exploration, and software-enabled stroke rehabilitation. 

Dr. Stuart’s research interests include: Dexterous manipulation; Bioinspired design; Soft and multi-material mechanisms; Skin contact conditions; Tactile sensing and haptics. Mobile and assistive robots face a rapidly expanding range of potential applications, including remote exploration and human assistance. In many of these cases, the focus of interaction is via the robot’s contact points, like end-effectors. However, current machines have limited capabilities in comparison to their biological counterparts when complex contact conditions dominate physical interaction. Professor Stuart’s research group is interested in improving robot dexterity with embodied intelligence through studying and designing for the nonidealities of real contact, especially for unstructured environments. This includes the design of (1) novel grippers and hands, (2) touch perception for autonomous interventions and (3) bioinspired manipulation strategies. This vision includes the advancement of relevant design analysis tools and the validation of concepts by applying technologies in the field. Dr. Stuart received her BS in Mechanical Engineering from the George Washington University in 2011. She then completed her MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University in 2013 and 2018 respectively. She is an NSF CAREER and NASA Early Career Faculty grant recipient.

Dr. Trimmer (M’13) received the Undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K., and carried out postdoctoral training in neuroscience with Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA; University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; and University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA., He is the Henry Bromfield Pearson Professor of Natural Science and holds secondary appointments in biomedical engineering and in neuroscience with the School of Medicine, Tufts University. His research focus is on the neuromechanics of locomotion, the science of how animals control their movements. In addition to his work on living systems, he is the Director of the Tufts Neuromechanics and Biomimetic Devices Laboratory, which specializes in the application of found biological principles to design and fabricate soft robots. His research interests in living systems and robots converge in his recent research that seeks to “grow” robotic devices using a combination of biosynthetic materials, cellular modulation, and tissue engineering. These biosynthetic robots will be versatile, safe, biocompatible, and biodegradable.,Dr. Trimmer is Director of the National Science Foundation-funded Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program in Soft Material Robotics and Editor in Chief of Soft Robotics.