Nicholas Bira, PhD

About Me:

I am a Robotics Engineer currently seeking employment. My research interests lie at the intersections of soft robotics, flexible smart materials, and electromagnetic fields. In my personal interests, I am a life-long maker adept with collaborative storytelling (D&D), art, teaching, computers and programming, graphic design, STEM education, 3D printing, laser cutting, casting and molding techniques. I'm originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, and I currently live in Corvallis, Oregon.

In September 2022 I graduated with a PhD in Robotics from Oregon State University (OSU). I was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP) during my time there, and my advisor was Prof. Joseph Davidson. In Summer of 2017 I was a Graduate Computer Science Intern at Intel Corp. in Hillsboro, Oregon.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Bio-engineering with a minor in Computational Neuroscience in May of 2017 from the University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou). During my undergraduate degree, I pursued projects and research in the areas of human locomotion, 3D printing, assistive technologies and soft robotics. I performed two undergraduate research experiences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and OSU.