Eleven University of Maryland Faculty Affiliate With MATRIX Lab

Eleven University of Maryland faculty members are now affiliated with the MATRIX Lab, the university’s hub for autonomous technologies and uncrewed systems research in Southern Maryland. These professors include Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering Reza Ghodssi, who also serves as the MATRIX Lab’s Executive Director of Research and Innovation. The group will collaborate with the MATRIX Lab team and take advantage of the SMART Building’s facilities for research and experiments as well as organizing and leading courses and talks.

Meet the Faculty

Dr. Pamela Abshire

Dr. Pamela Abshire is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Abshire’s areas of specialty are in the fields of VLSI circuit design and bioengineering. Her research focuses on better understanding the tradeoffs between performance and resources in natural and engineered systems.

Dr. Abshire is also affiliated with the Maryland Robotics Center, Brain and Behavior Institute, and Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices.

Dr. John Baras

Dr. John Baras is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) at the University of Maryland, College Park. He was the Founding Director of ISR. He is also a faculty member of the Applied Mathematics, Statistics and Scientific Computation Program.

Dr. Baras’ research interests include systems and control, optimization, communication networks, applied mathematics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, signal processing and understanding, robotics, computing systems, network security and trust, systems biology, healthcare management systems, and model-based systems engineering.

Dr. Baras is also affiliated with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, Maryland Robotics Center, and Department of Aerospace Engineering.

Dr. Cornelia Fermüller

Dr. Cornelia Fermüller is a research scientist in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) Computer Vision Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Fermüller’s research is in the areas of computer vision and human vision. In her computer vision work, she has developed many computational models and implemented software solutions for applications in visual navigation and image processing. Her work on biological vision involves examining the computational constraints, building simulation models, and performing psychophysical experiments to understand the possible computational mechanisms explaining human motion and low-level signal perception.

Dr. Fermüller is also affiliated with the Institute for Systems Research, Maryland Robotics Center, and Brain and Behavior Institute.

Dr. Reza Ghodssi

Dr. Reza Ghodssi is the Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering and Director of the MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Ghodssi’s research interests include designing and developing microfabrication technologies and processes in micro/nano/bio devices and systems for chemical and biological sensing, as well as small-scale energy conversion and harvesting with a strong emphasis toward healthcare applications.

Dr. Ghodssi is also affiliated with the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, the Maryland NanoCenter, the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Dr. Alireza Khaligh

Dr. Alireza Khaligh is the Director of the Maryland Power Electronics Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Khaligh’s major research interests include modeling, analysis, design, and control of power electronic converters for electrified transportation and renewable energy systems. Additional research interests include energy harvesting, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, electric vehicles, smart grid technologies, and miniaturized power electronic interfaces for micro robotic applications.

Dr. Khaligh is also affiliated with the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute.

Dr. Ming Lin

Dr. Ming Lin is a Dr. Barry Mersky and Capital One Endowed Professor and a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Computer Science (CS) at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Lin is interested in research in the following areas: AI and Robotics, Computer Vision and Machine Perception, Graphics Visualization and Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, High Performance and Scientific Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Retrieval and Geographic Information Systems, and Machine Learning and Data Science.

Dr. Lin is affiliated with the Maryland Robotics Center, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Institute for Systems Research.

Dr. Dinesh Manocha

Dr. Dinesh Manocha is the Paul Chrisman Iribe Chair in the Departments of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Manocha’s research interests include artificial intelligence, robotics, graphics visualization, virtual reality, augmented reality, autonomous driving, and high performance and scientific computing.

Dr. Manocha is affiliated with the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, Institute for Systems Research, Maryland Robotics Center, and Brain and Behavior Institute.

Dr. Michael Otte

Dr. Michael Otte is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Director of the Motion and Teaming Lab at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Otte’s research interests include motion planning for single and multi-agent systems and distributed algorithms that enable robotic teams and/or swarms to pool resources in order to solve their common problems.

Dr. Otte is also affiliated with the Department of Computer Science, Maryland Robotics Center, and Institute for Systems Research.

Dr. Derek Paley

Dr. Derek Paley is the Director of the Maryland Robotics Center and the Willis H. Young Jr. Professor of Aerospace Engineering Education in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Paley is interested in research in the following areas: Dynamics, estimation, and control; mobile sensor networks; and biocomplexity and bioinspiration.

Dr. Paley is also affiliated with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Brain and Behavior Institute.

Dr. Huan Xu

Dr. Huan Xu is jointly appointed in the Institute for Systems Research and the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Xu’s research interests include control and dynamical systems; formal methods with applications in autonomy, planning, and system identification; and specification, design, and synthesis of networked control systems.

Dr. Xu is also affiliated with the Maryland Robotics Center.

Dr. Miao Yu

Dr. Miao Yu is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Yu’s research interests include wave matter interactions; photonic sensors; metamaterials, micro- and nano-scale sensor systems; bio-inspired sensors, robotic sensing; sensor networks; adaptive optics, wavefront sensing and control, imaging through turbulence; and smart materials and structures.

Dr. Yu is also affiliated with the Institute for Systems Research and Maryland Robotics Center.

Published October 25, 2024