People
Ph.D. Student RESEARCHERS
Collin Hague
Collin received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2019 and the M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from UNC Charlotte in 2023. He has experience in data analytics and machine learning through undergraduate research at NCSU, several internships (Syntelli Solutions, NASA Langley), and through an industry position as a Full Stack Software Developer at Pratt and Miller Engineering. Collin completed a robotics-related internship at Sandia National Laboratories in 2023. He has served as both a teaching assistant and instructor of several laboratory courses at UNC Charlotte and mentored numerous undergraduate research students. In the ARSL, Collin is working on automated data collection with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) considering sensing performance and constraints. He has been with the ARSL since Fall 2021.
Dissertation Topic: Occlusion-aware Path Planning for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles
Nicholas Kakavitsas
Nicholas received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from UNC Charlotte in 2020 and the M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from UNC Charlotte in 2023. He has previous experience working with American Airlines as a A320 Fleet Engineer and with US Army Special Operations Command Unmanned Aerial Systems. For his senior design project, Nicholas helped develop a model of a flexure system from first principles using Lagrangian mechanics. He has served as both a teaching assistant and instructor of several laboratory courses at UNC Charlotte and mentored numerous undergraduate research students. In the ARSL, Nicholas is working on designing algorithms to enable wind field estimation and wind-aware path planning and control for autonomous quadrotors operating in urban environments. He has been with the ARSL since Fall 2021.
Dissertation Topic: Autonomous Quadrotors in Uncertain Disturbances: Control, Estimation, and Path Planning
Dustin Sims
Dustin received the B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Texas A&M University. Before joining Texas A&M he served 5 years in the U.S. Navy in the engineering department aboard a submarine. He also previously completed an internship at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHUAPL) where he worked on spacecraft reentry systems development. At Texas A&M, Dustin was part of the prestigious Zachry Leadership Program and also conducted research in Mexico to help solve engineering challenges related to potable water. For his senior design project he helped design a reusable spacecraft capable of transporting 150 colonists and crew to the Jovian (Jupiter) system. He is joining the ARSL in Fall 2025 and is interested in pursuing research related to the dynamics and control of autonomous space systems.
M.S. Student RESEARCHERS
Andrew McPartland
Andrew received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from UNC Charlotte in 2024. As a senior, he was a member of the highly successful 49er Rocketry Team that competed in the 2024 NASA Student Rocket Launch Competition in Huntsville, AL. His role on the team was Recovery Officer where he was responsible for all recovery-related tasks and assisted with manufacturing of a high-powered rocket. In Summer 2025 he participated in an internship with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. In the ARSL, Andrew is working on developing a behavior for autonomous agents to operate safely in adversarial environments. He has been with the ARSL since Fall 2024.
Nguyen ”Matt” Nguyen
Matt is an early-entry M.S. student in Mechanical Engineering student at UNC Charlotte minoring in Mathematics and Computer Science. His past experience includes internships with FANUC America Corporation as a Robotics Engineer and with Crosstown Heating and Cooling working on HVAC systems. He previously participated in the STEM TANK competition to design an autonomous, contactless food distribution system using Arduino sensors and 3D printed components. As an undergraduate, Matt participated in the OUR Scholar Program and completed a project to create a terrain-aware path planner for a Clearpath Robotics Jackal unmanned ground vehicle. He has been with the ARSL since Fall 2024.
Alumni
- Alex Nikonowicz, MS ME (2025). Thesis: Inland bathymetry surveying with uncrewed surface vessels: performance characterization and risk-aware path planning.
- Jacob Herbert, MS ME (2023). Thesis: Design and system identification of a miniature underwater vehicle for controls research. Next Position: Teledyne FLIR.
- Michael Brancato, MS ME (2022). Thesis: Autonomous sensing of a Gaussian spatial process with multiple heterogeneous agents. Next Position: Draper Laboratory.
UNDERGRADUATES
The ARSL typically supports between 1-3 undergraduate students per semester along with several senior design teams and other undergraduate student organizations.
Interested in Joining the ARSL?
Please email to introduce yourself and include an updated and complete resume/CV and transcripts. Describe your interests and career plans and how they relate to the work being conducted in the lab. Undergraduates: please also indicate your availability (start date, hours per week), your post-graduation plans, and any related courses or work.
Graduate Students: We are currently seeking graduate students (MS or PhD) to join our group, especially graduating senior students from UNC Charlotte are encouraged to apply. Some project work may require US Citizenship or permanent residency.
M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Mechanical Engineering at UNC Charlotte
Undergraduate Students: Students participating in the lab should be highly motivated and able to work independently with prior experience in programming (MATLAB/C++/python) and working with mechatronic systems. Strong candidates will have two or more of the following qualifications: (i) GPA of 3.3 or greater in an engineering or computer science major, (ii) Upper class ME students preferred who have completed courses in Dynamics I or Dynamics II, enrolled in technical electives related to robotics, controls, aerospace engineering, (iii) experience in project work that involves mechatronic or software development showcasing technical expertise related to the lab’s research or adjacent areas (e.g., portfolio with github account, website, technical report, etc.) of independent DIY projects completed. Students with a strong interest in pursuing a graduate degree (Ph.D. or M.S. degree) or currently enrolled in the early-entry masters program or the honors college are especially encouraged to apply.
B.S. Aerospace Engineering Concentration at UNC Charlotte
B.S. Honors Engineering Program at UNC Charlotte
Current Status: No openings for Summer 2025.
High School Interns: The ARSL does not mentor high school students at this time however we have supported the Camps on Campus program during the summer.