PhD Students
Name: Siyu Chen
Education:
– Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2022-Present.
– M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Germany, 2019.
– M.Eng., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tongji University, China, 2017.
– B.S., Engineering in Electrical Engineering and its Automation, Nanjing Institute of Technology, China, 2013.
Bio: Siyu is a Ph.D. student working as a Research Assistant in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining SiDi Lab, Siyu was working on multi-agent systems, consensus tracking control, and learning-based optimal control at ITR Lab, the Technical University of Munich in Germany. She is currently working on multi-agent reinforcement learning and its application in team dynamics in design and task planning.
Research Interests: Multi-agent Systems, Task Planning, Consensus Tracking Control, Learning-based Control.
Name: Xiang Li
Education:
– Ph.D. Student, Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2024-Present.
– M.S., Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2024.
– B.S., Mathematics and Economics, University of Colorado Denver, 2021.
Bio: Xiang is a Ph.D. student working as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Operations Research and Industrial Engineering (ORIE) program in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining SiDi Lab, Xiang was a Master‘s student in the ORIE program. Xiang has prior research and work experience in electrical energy analysis and mixed-integer programming in the context of supply chain management. Currently, his research focuses on game-theoretic mechanism design to understand design rationality, team dynamics, and human-AI in design collaboration.
Research Interests: Game Theory, Mechanism Design, Design Decision-making, Behavioral Experimentation.
Name: Ronnie Frank Pires Stone
Education:
– Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2022-Present.
– M.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, 2021.
– B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, 2020.
Bio: Ronnie is a Ph.D. student working as a Research Assistant in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. During his time at the University of Michigan, he assisted in the design of UAV collision-avoidance algorithms. Ronnie also has experience in the space industry, having worked in the instrumentation of ESA’s Vigil Mission. Ronnie’s current project focuses on integrating task scheduling and collision-free motion planning algorithms for swarm manufacturing applications.
Research Interests: Multi-Agent Control, Combined Task and Motion Planning, Swarm Manufacturing, Numerical Optimization, Computational Modeling of Physical Systems.
Name: Yuewan Sun
Education:
– Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2021-Present.
– M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China, 2017.
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, China, 2013.
Bio: Yuewan is a Ph.D. student working as a research assistant at the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the SiDi lab, Yuewan worked on biomechanics analysis using the finite element method. Prior to the Ph.D. program, Yuewan worked as a software engineer in the field of Radio frequency (RF) circuit simulation software development. Currently, she is focusing on generative design (GD), specifically in cross-modal generative AI and Large Language Models (LLM) for engineering design.
Research Interests: Generative Design, LLM for design, Deep Learning for Design.
Name: Pawornwan (Bam) Thongmak
Education:
– Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Spring 2023-Present.
– M.S., Industrial Engineering, Columbia University, 2021.
– B.S., Industrial Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 2019.
Bio: Bam is a Ph.D. student working as a Research Assistant in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Bam has prior research experience in supply chain optimization for a Logistics express delivery service and a market expansion service provider. She is currently assisting with a research project on network-based urban transportation system modeling and analysis under SiDi Lab.
Research Interests: Complex Systems Engineering and Design, Game Theory, Optimization, Product Design and Development.
Name: Nalin H. Varma
Education:
– Ph.D. Student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2023-present.
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, 2022.
Bio: Nalin is a Ph.D. student working as a Research Assistant in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. During research internships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Nalin has worked on topics including the development of scintillation materials, optimizing the manufacture of carbon fiber/polymer composites by compression molding, and the development of natural fiber/polymer composites. His current research seeks to understand how undergraduate engineering students interact with generative design tools and other design paradigms.
Research Interests: Engineering Education, Design Cognition.
MS Students
Name: Julienne Cantu
Education:
– M.S. student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2025-Present.
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Spring 2025.
Bio: Julienne is a Master’s student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She recently earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UT, where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the ReNue Lab, designing components for the BariFlex robotic hand. Her primary career interests lie in product development and design.
Research Interests: Human-centered Design, Sustainable Product Design, and Additive Manufacturing.
Name: Arya Haria
Education:
– M.S. student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2025-Present.
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, December 2024.
Bio: Arya is a Master’s student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He is interested in robotics and its applications in the manufacturing field. In his past work at Tesla, he designed automated manufacturing lines, which sparked his interest in the field. He is currently working in the field of assembly using robots and designing for robotic assembly. Outside work, he is interested in entrepreneurship and travel.
Research Interests: Robotics, Product Design, and Manufacturing.
Name: Cole Mensch
Education:
– M.S. student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2022-Present.
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2022.
Bio: Cole is a graduate student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He has prior research experience as an undergraduate, working on additive manufacturing of carbon fiber-reinforced composites for applications in the aerospace industry. Currently, Cole is working on task division and shop floor optimization for Cooperative Additive Manufacturing.
Research Interests: Additive Manufacturing, Robotics, Optimization, Product Design, and Development.
Name: Conner Petru
Education:
– M.S. student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2025-Present.
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Spring, 2025.
Bio: Conner is a Master’s student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He is interested in robotic space exploration and the use of autonomous manufacturing systems in space environments. Previously, Conner interned at Southwest Research Institute, where he developed a deployable mechanism for the DIMPLE instrument suite, a NASA lunar mission that launches in 2027. His current research focuses on in-space hybrid manufacturing and the use of topology optimization for automated repair processes. He spends his free time stargazing, playing the drums in an alt-rock band, and learning video game design.
Research Interests: Robotics and Automation, Space Systems, Mechanism Design and Simulation, Topology Optimization.
Name: Harshin Sanam
Education:
– M.S. student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2024-Present.
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, August 2024.
Bio: Harshin is a graduate student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He has prior research experience in wire arc additive manufacturing at the US Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, IL. His professional experience includes working in manufacturing, design, and R&D roles at Hylio, an agrodrone startup, and at Dril-Quip, a global oil and gas manufacturer. Aside from research and industry experience, he has completed and was recognized for building an environmental drone and a robotic structural welder.
Research Interests: Additive Manufacturing, Robotics, Computer Vision, Manufacturing Analytics and Optimization.
Name: Anuj Swaminathan
Education:
– M.S. student, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2023-Present.
– B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2023.
Bio: Anuj is a Master’s student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He is particularly interested in the ways that we use data-driven methodologies to bridge conventional manufacturing with cooperative 3D printing platforms in the aerospace and automotive industries. He is currently working on computer-vision process monitoring techniques for swarm manufacturing.
Research Interests: Additive Manufacturing, Robotics.
Undergraduate Students
Name: Ian Clark
Education:
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, expected 2028.
Bio: Ian is an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student who started working in the SiDi Lab through the Freshman Introduction to Research in Engineering (FIRE) program in 2024. He is currently working on developing additive manufacturing hardware for a robotic arm for use with conformal printing and swarm manufacturing.
Research Interests: Robotics, Product Design & Manufacturing, and Additive Manufacturing.
Name: Retvin Pant
Education:
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, expected 2028.
Bio: Retvin is an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student who joined the SiDi Lab through the Freshman Introduction to Research in Engineering (FIRE) program. He works on swarm manufacturing with 6-DOF robotic manipulators, focusing on the development of cooperative 3D printing hardware. His current projects include designing a custom multi-zone heated print bed for swarm manufacturing and developing a custom extruder system for robotic conformal printing.
Research Interests: Robotics and the mechanical design challenges involved in multi-robot additive manufacturing, with broader interests in aerospace and automotive applications.
Name: Vanishree Shanmugasundaram
Education:
– B.S., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, expected 2025.
Bio: Vani is a Junior who started working in the SiDi Lab in Summer 2023 as a Freshman Introduction to Research in Engineering (FIRE) Scholar. She is pursuing a business minor, working on cooperative 3D printing, and creating code for automatic alignment in swarm manufacturing.
Research Interests: Product Design and Development, Robotics, and Computer Vision for 3D Reconstruction.
Research Scientist Assistant
Name: John Clay
Education:
– B.A., Psychology/Business Administration (Double Major), Ouachita Baptist University, 2019.
Bio: John is a post-undergraduate working as a Research Assistant in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. John has a background in psychology with an emphasis on exploring methods to enhance human creativity. His current work focuses on design cognition and design education, specifically in exploring the cognitive processes underlying generative design activities and teaching these strategies to future designers.
Research Interests: Creativity, Systems Thinking, and Engineering Design Thinking.
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