Hello! I am Nana, a PhD student at EPFL developing bio-inspired robots that are robust and efficient in the fluid environment.
I'll be joining the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NYU as an Assistant Professor starting January 2026.
Thank you for your interest in joining our group! Sorry in advance that I may not respond to unsolicited emails regarding admissions or application status -- thanks for your understanding!
PhD applicants: I am looking to hire a few students for Fall 2026. Please apply directly to NYU's PhD program in Mechanical Engineering by December 1st, 2025 before sending me an email (including your CV, brief note of your research interest, anything you'd like to share such as videos of past projects, and whether you require funding). In your statement of purpose please indicate that you would like to work with Prof. Nana Obayashi.
See here for PhD funding options.
See here for NYU Tandon PhD Mentor/Mentee guidelines.
Graduate or Undergrad students at NYU: Please send me an email with your research interests, CV, and transcript to conduct research as part of your thesis or degree requirements. I prefer students with hands-on experience in robotics. In general the MAE department does not provide tuition support or stipends.
Visiting researchers: Please send me an email with your research interests, CV, transcript, length of planned stay, and how you will fund your stay at NYU.
Postdoc applicants: I am happy to conduct research with prospective postdocs with their own sources of funding.
You are welcome to contact me about support for fellowship applications to PhD, postdoctoral, and/or research visits through external funding sources. Please send a CV and a brief summary of your research interests.
General tip on emails: In your email, I'd prefer if you tell me why you are interested in our research and what you want to do in our lab, rather than what you think I want to hear. Please try to be concise and to the point! I particularly sympathize and concur with what Prof. Lilly Chin advises for tips for emailing.
Thanks for visiting! Here you will find some of my research work, a short bio, and things I do for fun.
This website is dormant since September 2025. Lab page coming soon!
nana dot obayashi at nyu dot edu