I am passionate about social justice, nature conservation, and developing technologies that meaningfully improve people’s lives. My background is in mechanical engineering/robotics, and I am especially interested in the areas of medical robotics, agricultural automation, sustainability, and human-centered design. I thrive in multidisciplinary environments, and love to collaborate with people from different backgrounds to solve complex problems. Most of my hobbies involve being active outdoors, and I continue to find new ways to enjoy nature. I also like to create interactive art, and have worked on numerous projects ranging from small sculptures to large, interactive, public installations.

My Ph.D. research at Northwestern’s Center for Robotics and Biosystems focused on modeling, motion planning, and feedback control for robotic manipulation of objects. I also worked as a robotics controls engineer to develop future system prototypes for Intuitive Surgical, a company that makes surgical robots and instruments for performing minimally invasive surgery. I received my B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2013 with a concentration in Design and Manufacturing. I received my Masters and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Northwestern in 2016 and 2020 respectively. 

This site is a collection of my academic research and projects, outreach, artistic projects, and hobbies. Please reach out if you have any questions or would like to connect!

Zack