I am a Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. I work on fundamental problems in robotics — modeling, dynamics, contact, and motion planning — developing differentiable physics and geometry-based optimization methods that enable scalable control, planning, and real-time autonomy for rigid, deformable, and hybrid robots.

Research

My core contribution is the Geometric Variable Strain (GVS) framework, which unifies rigid-body screw theory with strain-based Cosserat rod mechanics for deformable bodies. Building on this, I derive efficient dynamics algorithms with analytical derivatives of the governing equations, enabling gradient-based simulation, optimal control, system identification, and design for rigid, soft, and hybrid robotic systems.

I created SoRoSim, a publicly available, modular MATLAB® toolbox for the simulation, analysis, and control of hybrid soft–rigid robots, described in our IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine paper (see Publications). I currently lead the development of SoRoSim++, a C++ differentiable physics engine for real-time simulation, contact-rich dynamics, and learning-based robotics applications.

Alongside the modeling work, I lead and contribute to the design, mechanics-based modeling, and experimental validation of novel robotic systems for locomotion, manipulation, and sensing — including ZodiAq, a multi-flagellum soft underwater drone inspired by bacterial propulsion, featured on the cover of Soft Robotics (August 2024) and highlighted in New Scientist.

Education

I received my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore (2015–2019), where I worked on the theory, design, and experimental realization of dielectric elastomer transducers for low-frequency energy harvesting under Dr. Soo Jin Adrian Koh. I completed my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering (Honors), with a minor in Physics, at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (2011–2015).

Research interests

• Robot dynamics and control
• Differentiable simulation and physics engines
• Contact mechanics and collision algorithms
• Motion planning and optimization
• Soft, rigid, and hybrid robotic systems

Find more detail on my publications and CV pages.