People
Principal Investigator
Ye (Sarah) Sun
Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, joint appointment
Sun joined UVA as an associate professor in 2021. Prior to her position at UVA, Sun was an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Technological University.
Graduate Students
Chukwuemeka Ochieze
Nazirah Farach Rojo
Nazirah Farach Rojo is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on enhancing mobility through comfortable and intuitive exoskeleton systems. She is particularly interested in the mechanical design and control of exoskeletons, human biomechanics, and the interpretation of user intent for responsive assistance. Her work also involves using EMG to better understand muscle activity and effort, as well as studying physical human-exoskeleton interaction (pHEI) to evaluate load transfer, comfort, and interface performance. Her research lies at the intersection of wearable robotics, biomechanics, control, and human-centered exoskeleton design.
Soroush Zare is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia, specializing in AI-driven robotics and brain-computer interfaces. His research focuses on designing intelligent systems that enable adaptive human-robot interaction through multimodal machine learning.
He is passionate about advancing real-world AI applications across robotics, wearable systems, and embedded platforms. His current research contributions include:
• Efficient machine learning model optimization for real-time inference in robotics and wearable exoskeletons
• Transformer-based EEG signal processing for motor intent decoding and adaptive human-robot interaction
• Multimodal AI integration combining vision, EEG, and biosignals with reinforcement learning for intelligent control
• AI-accelerated embedded systems enabling low-latency, on-device ML inference and optimization
• Design and control of soft wearable exoskeletons for upper-limb rehabilitation and neuroadaptive assistance
Faisal Rehman
Faisal is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UVA. He works on embroidered electronic systems for wearable applications. His research focuses on digital e-textile manufacturing, EDA tools for electronics design, biosensors, low-impedance skin-contact electrodes, biomedical signal acquisition, and integrated sensing systems for healthcare applications.
Sameh Beaber
Sameh received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Military Technical College in Cairo, Egypt, specializing in mechatronics and robotics. During his bachelor’s, he worked on the development of a novel model and control technique for the R-Hex robot. For his master’s, he focused on the kinematic and dynamic modeling of hexapod robots, utilizing genetic algorithms to optimize its walking gait, contributing to advancements in legged robotics. Sameh is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia, developing a physics-guided deep learning (PGDL) framework that integrates physics-based models into neural networks for soft robot modeling and control. His work combines experimental design, including a soft rehabilitation glove, with strong-form PINNs that embed the Navier-Cauchy equation as a first principle physics, account for nonlinear material and geometric effects, and incorporate soft contact mechanics. This framework enables accurate, real-time predictions for soft robot applications such as deformation, manipulation, and interaction, with potential impacts in rehabilitation, biomedical devices, and automation.
Navian Francis
Ellianna Xinyi Bailey
Summer Research Interns — 2026
Bowen Dong is a rising senior at Virginia Tech pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with a minor in Finance. During his summer internship at WEARLab, he developed a simulated real-time EEG control system using motor-imagery data, machine learning, and Arduino-based hardware.
Dante Huaman is a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Virginia. During his summer at WEARLab, he worked on the development and mathematical modeling of an inflatable pleated actuator for antagonistic joints in an inflatable soft robotic arm. Through this project, he gained experience in soft robotics, actuator design, and mathematical modeling. His research interests include robotics, mechatronics, and fixed-wing and multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles. Outside of research, Dante enjoys playing the tenor saxophone, cooking, and hiking.
Jacob is a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Virginia. During his summer at WEARLab, he contributed to the design and fabrication of a wearable supernumerary robotic limb, gaining experience in soft robotics, pneumatic actuation, fabric-based structures, and embedded control systems. His research interests include mechanical design, robotics, and the development of assistive and augmentative robotic technologies. Outside of research, Jacob enjoys playing recreational soccer, exploring the outdoors, and contributing to the development of robotic prosthetic arms and hands as a member of UVA's CAVALIMBS engineering club.
Ashwini is a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia. During her summer internship at WEARLab, she worked on electromyography (EMG) data collection and signal processing to support wearable robotics and human-machine interface research.
Austin is a mechanical engineering student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. During his summer internship at WEARLab, he contributed to the development of a soft wearable exoskeleton prototype for stroke rehabilitation. His work focused on integrating inertial measurement units into the system to measure joint angles and support feedback-based actuation control.
Chris is a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Virginia with interests in robotics, controls, and mechatronics. During the summer at WEARLab, he contributed to the development of a wearable exoskeleton by designing and refining its control system. Through this work, he gained experience with control, system identification, controller tuning, and experimental testing to improve system performance.
Alumni
Alumni at Michigan Tech
C. George Ochieze
M.S. graduated in 2021, now working towards Ph.D. at UVA.
Somerset Shrock
M.S. graduated in 2021
Rutuja Shivarkar
M.S. graduated in 2021. (Body Controls Engineer at Canoo, CA.)
Si Liu
M.S. graduated in 2019.
Hui Huang
Ph.D. graduated in 2019, Dean’s award for outstanding scholarship at Michigan Tech.
Xian Li
Ph.D. graduated in 2019, Dean’s award for an outstanding scholarship at Michigan Tech.