The team (faculty, postdocs, and students) for the Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile Flight MURI
The Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile Flight MURI team at the kickoff meeting.

Leadership

Bing Brunton (University of Washington), the Principal Investigator of the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightBing Brunton is the MURI's Principal Investigator and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on developing data-driven analytic methods that are applied to and inspired by neuroscience questions, including neural-inspired sparse sensing and control for biological and engineered systems. Dr. Brunton's awards include an AFOSR Young Investigator Award, a University of Washington Innovation Award, and a Sloan Research Fellowship.
Sarah Bergbreiter (Carnegie Mellon University), a faculty member on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightSarah Bergbreiter is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research uses microsystems, microfabrication, and novel materials as tools to improve robotics, including the development of soft sensors that detect mechanical strain or pressure. Dr. Bergbreiter’s awards include a DARPA Young Faculty Award, an NSF CAREER Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers Award.
Steve Brunton (University of Washington), a faculty member on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightSteve Brunton is the James B. Morrison Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. His research focuses on data-driven dynamical systems in sensorimotor control, with an emphasis on efficient computations, sensor placement optimization, and turbulent fluid flow control. Dr. Brunton's awards include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers Award, AFOSR and ARO Young Investigator Awards, and a UW College of Engineering Faculty Award for Teaching.
Tom Daniel (University of Washington), a faculty member on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightTom Daniel holds the Komen Endowed Chair in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington. His research programs focus on biomechanics and sensory systems, addressing questions about the physics, engineering and neural control of movement in biology. Dr. Daniel’s awards include a MacArthur Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and awards for teaching and mentoring at the University of Washington.
Jonathan How (MIT), a faculty member on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightJonathan How is the Richard Cockburn Maclaurin Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on navigation and control, including adaptive flight control to enable autonomous agile flight, as well as the design and implementation of distributed robust planning algorithms. Dr. How is an IEEE Fellow, an AIAA Fellow, and received the Department of the Air Force Commander's Public Service Award.
Nathan Kutz (University of Washington), a faculty member on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightNathan Kutz is the Robert Bolles and Yasuko Endo Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Washington. His research focuses on nonlinear dynamics and dimensionality reduction for applications across the engineering, physical and biological sciences. Dr. Kutz's awards include an NSF CAREER Award and a Boeing Teaching Award from the UW Department of Applied Mathematics.
Alison Mehravari (University of Washington), the Scientific Program Manager for the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightAlison Mehravari is the MURI's Scientific Program Manager, based at the University of Washington. She holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Neuroscience from Middlebury College. In addition to the MURI, Dr. Mehravari manages the operations for the AFOSR Center of Excellence on Nature-Inspired Flight Technologies and Ideas and the UW Center for Translational Muscle Research

Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Burak Boyacioglu, (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightBurak Boyacioglu
Ph.D. Student in Aeronautics & Astronautics
University of Washington
Lab of Kristi Morgansen
Research: Observability analysis of systems with neural-inspired sensors and optimal sensor placement
Jorge Bustamante, (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightJorge Bustamante
Ph.D. Student in Biology
University of Washington
Lab of Tom Daniel
Research: How insects use different body parts for flight maneuverability/control
Yogesh Chukewad (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightYogesh Chukewad
Ph.D. Student in Mechanical Engineering
University of Washington
Lab of Sawyer Fuller
Research: Design and control of insect-sized robots; control autonomy and sensor fusion
Emily Clark (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightEmily Clark
Ph.D. Student in Physics
University of Washington
Labs of Steve Brunton & Nathan Kutz
Research: Principled sparse sensor placement
Kameron Decker Harris (University of Washington), a postdoctoral fellow on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightKameron Decker Harris
WRF Postdoctoral Fellow, Departments of Computer Science & Engineering and Biology
University of Washington
Lab of Bing Brunton
Research: Networked neural systems & computational science: theory, modeling, and data
Tanvi Deora (University of Washington), a postdoctoral fellow on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightTanvi Deora
HFSP Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology
University of Washington
Labs of Tom Daniel & Bing Brunton
Research: Neuromechanics of touch in plant-pollinator interaction
Charlie Fieseler, (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightCharlie Fieseler
Ph.D. Student in Physics
University of Washington
Lab of Nathan Kutz
Research: Separation of intrinsic dynamics and controllers in neural systems
Maxwell Gray (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightMaxwell Gray
Ph.D. Student in Computer Science & Engineering
University of Washington
Lab of Bing Brunton
Research: Machine learning for neural-inspired control
Michelle Hickner (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightMichelle Hickner
Ph.D. Student in Mechanical Engineering
University of Washington
Labs of Steve Brunton & Bing Brunton
Research: Optimal sensor locations and hawkmoth neuronal responses to wing strain
Suhan Kim (Carnegie Mellon University), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightSuhan Kim
Ph.D. Student in Mechanical Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
Lab of Sarah Bergbreiter
Research: Sensor fabrication and system development
Regan Kubicek (Carnegie Mellon University), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightRegan Kubicek
Ph.D. Student in Mechanical Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
Lab of Sarah Bergbreiter
Research: Bio-inspired flexible sensors
Thomas Mohren (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightThomas Mohren
Ph.D. Student in Mechanical Engineering
University of Washington
Labs of Steve Brunton & Tom Daniel
Research: Timing-based sensing and control from insect flight to engineered systems
Aditya Nair (University of Washington), a postdoctoral fellow on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightAditya G. Nair
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Washington
Labs of Steve Brunton & Bing Brunton
Research: Modeling and control of fluid flows, inference of networks
Aleix Paris i Bordas, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightAleix Paris i Bordas
Master’s Student in Aeronautics and Astronautics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lab of Jonathan How
Research: Autonomous flight systems, artificial intelligence
Satpreet Singh (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightSatpreet Singh
Ph.D. Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Washington
Labs of Bing Brunton & Raj Rao
Research: Machine learning, computational neuroscience, biological and artificial intelligence
Jordan Snyder (University of Washington), a postdoctoral fellow on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightJordan Snyder
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Mathematics
University of Washington
Labs of Nathan Kutz & Steve Brunton
Research: Discovering low-dimensional dynamical systems from data
Andrea Tagliabue, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightAndrea Tagliabue
Ph.D. Student in Aeronautics and Astronautics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lab of Jonathan How
Research: Machine learning, estimation, motion planning for agile robots
Olivia Thomas (University of Washington), a graduate student on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightOlivia Thomas
Ph.D. Student in Physics
University of Washington
Lab of Nathan Kutz
Research: Computational neuroscience, bio-inspired artificial networks, and machine learning
Abby von Hagel
Post-baccalaureate Fellow in Biology
University of Washington
Lab of Tom Daniel
Research: Neurosensory encoding of flight control
Ali Weber (University of Washington), a postdoctoral fellow on the MURI on Neural-inspired Sparse Sensing and Control for Agile FlightAli Weber
WRF Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology
University of Washington
Labs of Tom Daniel & Bing Brunton
Research: Neural encoding of wing strain and principles of optimal sensor placement