People

PhD position openings: We are always on the lookout for motivated PhD students to join our lab. If you think you have a good fit with our ongoing research, please send an email to Dr. Halder at udithalder@usf.edu stating your interest and why you think you will fit within the group. Please also include your CV.

Other interested students (for BS and MS research) are welcome to reach out as well.

Note: Please carefully review our recent publications before inquiring about open PhD positions. Students with a strong mathematical background, including exposure to modern control theory, are encouraged to contact for the PhD positions. Mathematical skill requirements are less strict for the other levels (BS, MS), but are still highly recommended.

Postdoctoral Research Associates

Xincheng Li

I am a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of South Florida, working with Professor Udit Halder. My research connects geometric control, motion planning, and human–robot interaction, with recent work on collective motion and soft robotic grasping.

I received my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2025, advised by Professor P. S. Krishnaprasad. My dissertation developed geometric models of human movement and control methods for interacting agents using Lie groups and equi-affine geometry.

PhD Students

Nicolas Echeverria Zambrano

Hi! My name is Nicolas Echeverria; I am a first-year Ph.D student in the Deparment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of South Florida. I earned my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at USF in May 2025. Before joining Dr. Halder’s research group, I participated in research focusing on human-robot interaction looking at strategies to mitigate abuse in robots. My research interests are in robotics, control systems, and bio-inspired soft robots. I am currently working on grasping strategies for the control of soft continuum arms.

Tengyue Liu

I am an M.S. student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of South Florida. My research interests include collective behavior and multi-agent control. Currently, I study leader–follower control of a two-agent system, focusing on speed and curvature control and using OptiTrack motion capture with ROS 2 for physical experiments.

MS Students

Sofia Morales Ferreira

I am an M.S. student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of South Florida, where I also earned my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in May 2026. Before joining this lab, I worked on acceleration and regenerative braking optimization in E-CAVs to improve energy efficiency. I am currently working on estimation and pursuit in mobile robots. My main interests are controls, robotics, optimization, and autonomous systems.

BS Students

Meghabwati Dey

Meghabwati Sukanya Dey is a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of South Florida and a researcher at Halder Lab. Her work centers on soft robotics, simulation, and control systems, contributing to the design and fabrication of bio-inspired robotic platforms. With experience in CAD modeling, additive manufacturing, and iterative engineering design, she is driven to develop innovative technologies that create meaningful real-world impact.

Lab Alumni

Nishant Subedi (BS, May 2026)
- Current position: PhD Student, University of Virginia

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