CV
Education
- Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2026
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, 2016
Research experience
- 2022-2026: Journeyman Fellow (DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Northwestern University)
- Collaborated with ARL researchers to advance the state of the art in soft-soil legged robotic locomotion while simultaneously pursuing doctoral research.
- Delivered guest lectures on mechanics of robot-soil interaction to Autonomous Systems Branch and presented research to Technical Advisory Board (TAB) review meeting at ARL Aberdeen Proving Ground.
- Fueled collaborative relationship between ARL and Northwestern University’s Center for Robotics and Biosystems.
- Supervisor: Jason L. Pusey
- 2016-2026: Graduate Researcher (Northwestern University - Center for Robotics and Biosystems)
- Researched dynamic legged locomotion on yielding terrain, combining reduced-order modeling of legged robots and dissipative yielding substrates, systematic experiments with fully custom robot hardware, and theoretical and computational tools from nonlinear dynamics and optimal control.
- Published two first-author papers in top-tier robotics journals (IEEE Transactions on Robotics and IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters).
- Delivered oral presentations and poster presentations at ICRA (2020 and 2025) and the Global Physics Symposium (formerly the March Meeting) of the American Physical Society (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025).
- Collaborated with and mentored five undergraduate students and two master’s students.
- Supervisors: Prof. Kevin M. Lynch and Prof. Paul B. Umbanhowar
- 2014-2016: Undergraduate Researcher (University of Notre Dame - Locomotion and Biomechanics Laboratory)
- Investigated inertial effects on egocentric and allocentric proprioception and motor control using a cobot system designed for diagnosing and rehabilitating motion-planning disorders.
- Supervisor: Prof. James Schmiedeler
- Summer 2015: Undergraduate Researcher (University of Notre Dame - International Summer Undergraduate Research Experience)
- Collaborated with visiting Tsinghua University undergraduate engineering students on feasibility study of direct-drive valve actuation methods for Honeywell’s Advanced Technology division, culminating in on-site presentation at Honeywell to engineering R&D team.
- Supervisor: Prof. Bill Goodwine
Skills
- Theory
- Robot kinematics, dynamics, and control
- Classical, modern, and optimal control
- Trajectory Optimization
- Differential geometry, geometric mechanics and control
- Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics
- Nonlinear dynamics
- Hardware
- Real-time embedded control with ARM Cortex-M and PIC32 microcontrollers
- Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and FPGA
- Machining (mill and lathe) and rapid prototyping (3D printer and laser cutter)
- PCB design and assembly (including surface mount soldering)
- Software
- MATLAB/Simulink
- C/C++
- Python
- Mathematica
- VHDL
- KiCAD
- SolidWorks and Onshape
- LaTeX
Publications
Efficient, Responsive, and Robust Hopping on Deformable Terrain
D. J. Lynch, J. L. Pusey, S. W. Gart, P. B. Umbanhowar and K. M. Lynch. "Efficient, Responsive, and Robust Hopping on Deformable Terrain," in IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 41, pp. 782-800, 2025.
The Soft-Landing Problem: Minimizing Energy Loss by a Legged Robot Impacting Yielding Terrain
D. J. Lynch, K. M. Lynch and P. B. Umbanhowar, "The Soft-Landing Problem: Minimizing Energy Loss by a Legged Robot Impacting Yielding Terrain," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 3658-3665, April 2020.
Talks
Efficient, Responsive, and Robust Hopping on Deformable Terrain
Oral Presentation and Poster Presentation at ICRA 2025, Atlanta, GA, USA
A Template-and-Anchor Approach to Stable Sagittal-Plane Legged Locomotion on Yielding Terrain
Oral Presentation at 2025 Global Physics Summit of the American Physical Society, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Hopping on Deformable Terrain with State-Based Switching: Dynamics and Implications for Robot Design
Oral Presentation at 2023 March Meeting of the American Physical Society, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Towards SLIP-Inspired Hopping on Yielding Terrain
Oral Presentation at 2022 March Meeting of the American Physical Society, Chicago, IL, USA
A Motion-Planning Framework for Dynamic Monopedal Locomotion on Deformable Terrain
Oral Presentation at 2021 March Meeting of the American Physical Society, virtual
The Soft-Landing Problem: Minimizing Energy Loss by a Legged Robot Impacting Yielding Terrain
Oral Presentation and Poster Presentation at ICRA 2020, virtual
Soft Landing of a Legged Robot on Yielding Terrain
Lightning Talk and Poster Presentation at 2019 American Control Conference - Challenges and Solutions for Legged Robotics (Workshop), Philadelphia, PA, USA
Soft Landing of a Legged Robot on Yielding Terrain
Oral Presentation at 2019 March Meeting of the American Physical Society, Boston, MA, USA
Teaching
Service and leadership
- Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Robotics, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, and Advanced Intelligent Systems (Wiley).