Toward Generalizable Human-Humanoid Interaction in Dynamic and Contact-Rich Environments
Dr. Yan Gu received her B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Zhejiang University (China) in June 2011 and her Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in August 2017. She was with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) as an Assistant Professor between September 2017 and July 2022. She joined the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University as an Associate Professor in July 2022. Her long-term research goal is to realize autonomous and intelligent humanoid locomotion and manipulation in dynamic, complex open-world environments. She received the Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award from the Office of Naval Research in 2024, Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation in 2021, Verizon’s 5G Robotics Challenge Award in 2019, Excellence in Teaching Award from UML's College of Engineering in 2019, Magoon Teaching Award from Purdue's College of Engineering in 2013, Frederick N. Andrews Fellowship at Purdue University in 2011, and Chu Kochen Scholarship at Zhejiang University in 2010. Dr. Gu is an Associate Editor for IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, and IFAC Mechatronics, as well as a Guest Editor for IEEE Transactions on Robotics.