Principal Investigator
Post Doctoral Researchers
Shraman Kadapa, Ph.D. (Google Scholar, Linked In)
Dr. Shraman Kadapa is a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory for Biological Systems Analysis (LBSA) at Drexel. His current research focuses on leveraging high fidelity numerical models of robotic systems to develop closed-loop control strategies for underwater robots operating in high-energy flow environments.
Anthony Drago, Ph.D. (Google Scholar, Linked In)
Dr. Andy Drago is a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory for Biological Systems Analysis (LBSA) at Drexel University, where he develops bio-inspired robotic systems and learning-based control frameworks for multi-limbed locomotion in complex environments using a multidisciplinary approach spanning biology, neuroscience, and engineering. His work integrates high-fidelity modeling, reinforcement learning, and experimental robotics to study and exploit the propulsive mechanisms of fish, sea lions, and other biological swimmers, with an emphasis on task-specific, efficient, and robust gait generation. He has presented at major robotics venues, co-authored multiple peer-reviewed papers, and collaborates with academic and government partners on underwater robotics, social robotics, and autonomous systems.
Nicholas Marcouiller, Ph.D. (Google Scholar, Linked In)
Dr. Nicholas Marcouiller (pronounced Mar-kwee-ay) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Laboratory for Biological System Analysis (LBSA) at Drexel University, specializing in mechatronics, hardware design, and experimental validation of bio-inspired underwater robotic systems. Building on his doctoral research, Dr. Marcouiller continues to advance the SEAMOUR platform—a high-degree-of-freedom bio-robotic swimmer modeled after the California sea lion.
Graduate Students
Sara Frunzi, Ph.D. Candidate (Google Scholar, Linked In)
Sara Frunzi received her Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Robotics Engineering, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University, working in the lab on transitioning robotic systems between land and water.
Ahmet Yalim Kiral, M.S. Thesis Candidate
Ahmet Yalim Kiral joined LBSA through the STAR Scholars Program during the summer following his first year as an undergraduate at Drexel. He initially worked on developing an actively bending fore flipper for the robotic sea lion research platform of SEAMOUR, and he continued contributing to the SEAMOUR project in the following years by assisting with experimental testing. He is currently completing his master’s thesis, “Flow Mapping Around SEAMOUR Using Pressure Sensing,” while preparing to graduate with both a Bachelor and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Undergraduate Students
- Danny Giesselbach
Lab Alumni
- Rowan Collazo, MS (Co-op at NRL)
- Anthony Mignano, PhD
- Gabe Carryon, PhD (Instructor at Community College of Philadelphia)
- Lauren Garafalo, MS
- Deeksha Seth, PhD (Assistant Professor at Villanova University)
- Maxwell Painley (Test Engineer at ATI Industrial Automation)
- Jeff Kahn, Jr., PhD
- Samson Shepherd
- David McDevitt
- Jonah Gottlieb
- James Green
- Mary Milone
- Christopher Phelan
- Christopher Esposito