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About Me

I work on Autonomous Systems and develop solutions in AI and Robotics. I direct the Vehicle Autonomy and Intelligence Lab (VAIL).

Before joining Indiana University in 2017, I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Southern California since 2015. I also spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Field Robotics Center of Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University during 2013-2015. I obtained my PhD from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University in 2013.

Some Recent/Past Activities

2022-10: I start serving as an Associate Editor for Autonomous Robots (AURO) journal.

2022-06: I start serving as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (T-ASE).

2019-10: I co-organized a TED-talk style AI workshop on "Indiana National Lab Day" in Indianaplis. We had a selective list of speakers who are renowned professors and scientists from University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, Indiana Innovation Institute, Indiana University, as well as Program Directors from 5 National Labs in different regions of US.

2017-04: I co-organized the second Southern California Robotics Symposium (SCR 2017) which was held on the beautiful campus of USC on April 14, 2017. This year's event has been a big success and we had over 300 attendees. There were 15 speakers, 25 accepted posters, and 16 exhibition booths, from both academia and industry.

2016-04: I co-organized the inaugural Southern California Robotics Symposium (SCR 2016) that was held on the campus of UCSD on 4/22, 2016. We achieved a great success, with an amazing line-up of speakers and around 300 participants.



Course(s) Teaching in Spring 2025

E502/399: Introduction to Cyber-Physical Systems
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) involve transdisciplinary technologies and are typically regarded as "smart" systems. This course covers fundamental CPS technologies and their applications. Lectures will include basic frameworks of dynamical and control systems, perception modeling, state estimation, communication in networked systems, as well as their applications to CPS such as smart homes, vehicles, and transportation.


Courses Taught in the Past

E399/599: Autonomous Robots; Fall 20/21/22/23/24

E502/399: Introduction to Cyber-Physical Systems; Spring 18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25; Fall 19

E503/399: Introduction to Intelligent Systems; Fall 18

E599: Special topics on Autonomous Robotics Planning and Learning; Fall 17

E500: Seminar Course: Introduction to Intelligent Systems Engineering (co-instructor); Fall 17-now


For Prospective Students

If you are interested in pursuing a PhD with me, thank you for your enthusiasm for our work! I always welcome highly motivated students with a background in AI and/or robotics. However, to ensure we are a good fit, I encourage you to first review our recent publications and research projects. If our work aligns with your interests, please send me your CV/Resume and transcripts. Please note that due to many emails I need to process daily, I may not be able to respond to every inquiry.

Motivated IU undergraduate and Master’s students are also welcome to work with me! I strongly encourage you to take one of my courses first -- this allows me to get to know you and gives you foundational knowledge about our research. Before contacting me, please review my research topics and select one or two areas that interest you the most. When you reach out, include your CV/Resume, academic transcripts, and your selected topics. We can then arrange a meeting to discuss potential projects.