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Simone Martini (June 2025- present): Simone is a postdoctoral research fellow who joined MDCL lab in summer 2025. His research interest revolves around nonlinear modeling and control of UAVs, with his doctoral dissertation focusing on applications of Koopman operator Theory. Before arriving at UC, Simone was a postdoctoral research fellow and adjunct faculty at the University of Denver, where, in summer 2024, he completed his PhD. Prior to that, he completed his B.S. degree in aerospace engineering and the M.S. degree in mechatronics engineering at Politecnico di Torino.
Contact Simone: marti6so@ucmail.uc.edu
Hesham Abdelfattah (Summer 2026- present): Hesham is postdoctoral research fellow at MDCL.
Hesham Abdelfattah (Fall 2022- Summer 2026): PhD student at the AEEM dpt and joined our group since Fall 2022. He got his BSc. in energy systems, and MSc. in Engineering Mathematics. He worked for some years as a software developer in various industries. Hesham is mainly interested in geometric control theory, generalized derivatives and nonsmooth/discontinuous analysis of dynamical and control systems, and mathematical modelling of engineering systems (e.g. energy and flight systems).
Contact Hesham: abdelfhm@mail.uc.edu
Benjamin Moidel (Fall (August) 2022 - present): Ben is a PhD student at the AEEM department. He is affiliated with the Airforce Research Lab (AFRL) and has had teaching experience at the University of Dayton after obtaining his Master's.
Contact Ben: moidelba@mail.uc.edu
Benjamin Moidel (Fall 2025 - present): Dipesh is a PhD student at the AEEM department at the University of Cincinnati, who joined the MDCL lab in Fall 2025. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering at Tribhuvan University, IOE, Pulchowk Campus. Before beginning his graduate studies at UC, he has experience working on aerospace systems design, design optimization, and sustainable propulsion powertrains. At MDCL, he is working on DARPA's Albatross project, focusing on modeling and control of fixed-wing UAV systems for dynamic soaring.
Contact Ben: kunwardh@mail.uc.edu
Felix Roy (Summer 2026): Felix Roy earned his BSc in Mechanical Engineering with a Mechatronic Option at the University of New Brunswick in spring 2025. He is currently pursuing an MScE at UNB, Canada, where his research focuses on robotics and advanced control systems. His interests include robotics, smart systems, automation, and model-based control. He is visiting MDCL this summer for research collaborations.
Contact Rolf: felixc.roy@unb.ca
Alumni
Sameer Pokhrel (March 2021- Summer 2024): Sameer joined the AEEM dpt at UC as a PhD student since Fall 2019 with TAship award. Before joining UC, Sameer has been involved with research and making of UAVs, particularly, gliders. He is interested in nonlinear dynamics and control, extremum seeking controls, modeling, and UAVs.
PhD Dissertation: Averaging and Approximation Theory for Control-Affine Extremum Seeking Systems and Decoding the Flight Physics of Soaring Birds
Current Position: Control System Engineer · Angel Aerial Systems
Ahmed Elgohary (Spring (January) 2023 - Summer 2026): Ahmed is a PhD student at the AEEM dpt at UC and joined our group since Spring 2023. Ahmed got his MSc in Aerospace and Engineering Systems from Skoltech, Russia in June 2022 and his BSc. in Aerospace Engineering from Zewail University of Science and Technology, Egypt in June 2020. Ahmed is mainly interested in nonlinear dynamics and control, modeling and simulation, extremum seeking and optimization, UAVs, and VTOL.
PhD Dissertation: Extremum Seeking for Controlled Vibrational Stabilization and New Paradigm in Flapping Flight Physics
Current Position: Senior Aerospace Systems Dynamics and Controls Engineer · GE Aerospace
Rohan Palanikumar (February 2024 – May 2026): Rohan is a BSc and MSc Aerospace Engineering student at UC. He is interested in modeling and simulating control systems as well as the application of control methods for aircrafts and UAVs.
MS Thesis (click here): Extremum Seeking Control for Vibrational Stabilization: Applications in Rigid Body and Robotic Systems
Shivam Bajpai (Augest 2021- Summer 2024): Shivam joined the AEEM dpt at UC as an MS student in Fall 2021. He is interested in control implementation on Robots and UAVs and applied techniques that are meant to reduce induced drag incurred on aircrafts.
MS Thesis (click here): Investigating the Performance of Different Controllers in Optimized Path Tracking in Robotics: A Lie Bracket System and Extremum Seeking Approach
Current Position: PhD student at the Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics department, University of Cincinnati
Timothy Pierce (Spring 2023): MS (non-thesis) student: piercett@mail.uc.edu
MS Project: Modeling and Simulation of Flapping Wings
Bio: Tim finished his Masters's degree in the AEEM department at UC. He received his B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from UC. Tim is currently working with the U.S. Air Force as a systems engineer. Before his work with the Air Force, he also worked with GE Aerospace on aircraft engine sustainment and repair development and with Boeing focusing on cargo aircraft conversion, repair, and manufacturing.
Current Position: US Airforce
Hannah Wenzlick (Summer 2025): Hannah is a BSc and MSc Aerospace Engineering student at UC. She is interested in researching extremum seeking and UAVs, as well as modeling and simulation.
Contact Hannah: wenzlihm@mail.uc.edu
Rolf Talieh (Summer 2025): Rolf Talieh is an undergraduate student in Aerospace Engineering, along with also being an LSAMP scholar. I'm interested in the structural aspects of Aerospace Engineering.
Contact Rolf: taliehra@mail.uc.edu
Sarah Hassan (Summer 2024): Undergraduate student: hassans3@mail.uc.edu. Sarah is a third-year undergraduate pursuing a BSc of Science in Medical Sciences. She is researching topics related to fusion between Medical Science and Aerospace Engineering.
Jordan Tucker (Summer 2024): Undergraduate student: tuckejo@mail.uc.edu LSAMP program Co-Op student at the University of Cincinnati. Worked on sensors and experimental support for robotics and UAVs implementation.
Paulo Snoddy (Summer 2023): Undergraduate student: snoddypo@mail.uc.edu LSAMP program Co-Op student at the University of Cincinnati. Worked on sensors and experimental support for robotics and UAVs implementation.
Neha Jadhav (Summer 2023): Undergraduate student: jadhavno@mail.uc.edu (volunteering undergraduate student from aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Worked on sensors and simulations to support robotics implementation.
Vishesh Anand (Fall 2022): Undergraduate student: anandvh@mail.uc.edu (volunteering undergraduate student from computer science at the University of Cincinnati. Worked on sensors and simulations to support robotics implementation.
Ariana Deluca (Summer 2022): Undergraduate student: delucaar@mail.uc.edu (Uprise program Co-Op student at the University of Cincinnati. Worked on sensors and experimental support for robotics and UAVs implementation.
Alex Daveport (Summer 2022): Undergraduate student: davenpjv@mail.uc.edu LSAMP program Co-Op student at the University of Cincinnati. Worked on sensors and experimental support for robotics and UAVs implementation.
Purnima Janjanam (Spring 2022) - MS student: janjanpa@mail.uc.edu
Noah Ngan (Summer 2021): Undergraduate student: ncngan@uci.edu (from University of California, Irvine).
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