People

Kevin Chen   yufengc@mit.edu
Kevin Chen is currently the D. Reid Weedon, Jr. ’41 Career Development Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT. He received his PhD in Engineering Sciences at Harvard University in 2017 and his bachelor’s degree in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University in 2012. His work focuses on developing multifunctional and multimodal insect-scale robots. His research interests also include developing high bandwidth and robust soft actuators for microrobot manipulation and locomotion. He is a recipient of the several best
paper awards at top robotics journals and conferences such as TRO 2021, RAL 2020, and IROS 2015.

Younghoon Lee   lyh@mit.edu
Younghoon Lee is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT. He received his doctor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU) and master’s and bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Kyung Hee University (KHU). His research interest is on tribotronics and soft materials for control of micro air vehicles. His previous research was highlighted as a Cover and Featured Paper at journals of Science Robotics, Nature Communications, Science Advances, etc. He is conducting Sejong Science Fellowship (South Korea government). He likes weight training, running, and cooking (Craftsman Cook, Korean Food). He just started to be interested in playing golf.

Zhijian Ren   zhijianr@mit.edu
Zhijian Ren is a PhD student in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT. He received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and bachelor’s degree in automation at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research focuses on the power autonomy of micro aerial robots. He was a recipient of Grass Instrument Company Fellowship and MathWorks Fellowship at MIT. He is a recipient of 2021 TRO Best Paper Award. Zhijian likes watching movies and detective novels in his free time and he is a big fan of Celtics!

Suhan Kim   suhank@mit.edu
Suhan Kim is a PhD student in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT. He received his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU). Suhan’s research interest is on the fabrication and integration of soft and micro robotics, and currently focuses on developing 4-legged crawling robots. Suhan received ‘Outstanding BS Thesis Award’ for his undergrad research project, and was nominated as the finalist for best paper award at RoboSoft 2020 conference with his research topic during Master’s degree. Suhan likes cooking and taking photographs.

Yi-Hsuan (Nemo) Hsiao   yhhsiao@mit.edu
Yi-Hsuan (Nemo) Hsiao is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT. He is interested in the design and control of micro air vehicles. Yi-Hsuan obtained his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from City University of Hong Kong. He is a recipient of the Campbell L. Searle Graduate Fellowship at MIT and he is awarded Government Scholarship by the Taiwanese Government. In his free time, Yi-Hsuan likes playing baseball, swimming, and visiting museums. He is also a big fan of Red Sox!

Shiqi Chen   shiqiche@mit.edu
Shiqi Chen is a current MEng student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT. He was previously an undergraduate student majoring in physics and EECS, and he received his bachelor’s degree in May 2022. His research interest is in power electronics and circuit design. He likes worldbuilding, movie casting, weight training, and cooking.

Cat Arase   carase@mit.edu
Cat Arase is a senior in the Mechanical Engineering department. She is interested in controls, dynamics, and design. Outside of the Soft and Micro Robotics Lab, Cat is an Associate Advisor for First Years, her dorm’s Electrical Engineering Lab chair, a mentor for a makerspace on campus, and an active participant in the blacksmithing guild. She also enjoys ice cream!

Kyle Heinz   kyleh51@mit.edu
Kyle Heinz is a freshman in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). He is interested in hardware development as well as robotics. Outside of class, Kyle plays varsity football, power lifts, and enjoys spending time in makerspaces. Originally from Chicago, Kyle’s favorite type of pizza is deep dish.