People

Faculty

Gray Thomas

Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Gray Cortright Thomas, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He studies direct human control of physically interactive robots through a combination of strength amplification control, human modeling and estimation, and high-bandwidth design. He earned his 2019 Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked on the topics of multi-contact impedance control for humanoid robots, system identification for robust control, and series elastic actuation. Prior to his Ph.D., he earned his B.S. in Engineering:Robotics at Olin College of Engineering in 2012. He was the recipient of the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship and Olin Full-Tuition Scholarship. Other research interests include force-feedback, series-elastic actuation, and robust control.

PhD Students

Jadon Kaercher

PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering

Jadon is a talented mechanical designer working at the intersection of fractal structures and human interface dynamics.

Anthony Petrakian

PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering

Anthony leads the strength amplification arm project, focusing on system theory and convex optimization for robust identification and control.

Jed Simms

PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering

Jed Simms (left) received a B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station in 2021 and 2023 respectively. Jed is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering under Dr. Gray Thomas at Texas A&M. Jed has interned at Jacobs as a Thermal Analysis Engineering Intern and at KBR as a Flight Dynamics Officer Intern in support of the NASA Johnson Space Center, as well as for Trane Technologies as an Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Intern. During his undergraduate degree, Jed was a member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets and Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, serving in multiple leadership positions.

Anthony Barcio

PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering

Anthony Barcio is a PhD-track student who works closely with the HERC Lab. His current research is focused on the optimal design of planar rotary springs for use in robotic manipulators. He received a B.S. in Aerospace engineering and a B.A. in Saxophone Performance from the University of Oklahoma before coming to study at Texas A&M University.

Zachary Moyer

PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering

Zach is a Wisenbaker Fellow and is researching robust joint-level impedance controllers for space-rated robotic applications. He is currently developing nonlinear controllers for magnetically geared actuators and high-friction, series-elastic actuators. He received his B.S. in Engineering Science from Trinity University.

Alex Sowell

PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering

Alex is researching control techniques for compliant, multi-degree-of-freedom actuation systems. Concurrently, he works as an engineer in NASA Johnson Space Center’s Robotic Systems Technology Branch. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and an M.S. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Chinmay Prakash Swami

PhD Student, Mechanical Engineering

Chinmay is developing state-estimation based control of prosthetic legs during dynamic and outdoor locomotion. He received his M.S. in Computer Science from University at Buffalo

Matthew Hammond

PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering

Matt’s research centers around complex robotic grasping and force feedback integration within novel control systems. He also has experience with the development of swarm robotics platforms and human-robot collaboration.

Zachary Bucknor-Smartt

PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering

Zachary is a Ph.D. student in the lab working on control and planning for multicontact robot systems, emphasizing model-based optimization methods that account for controller dynamics, actuator limits, and environmental uncertainty. His research interests include adaptive real-time planning, optimal control, and hybrid learning-augmented control frameworks for reliable robot behavior in complex environments. Zachary is also a recipient of the Avilés–Johnson Doctoral Fellowship.

Landry Graves

PhD Student in Mechanical Engineering

After earning his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2025, Landry continued with the HERC Lab to pursue research in advanced robotic control systems. He was awarded the Chancellor’s National Academy STEM PhD Fellowship, enabling him to be co-advised by Dr. Gray Thomas and Dr. Robert Ambrose. Currently, Landry is contributing to the HAND Engineering Research Center, where he is developing sensors to measure tendon tension in robotic hands. His work aims to create a model that quantifies how friction influences energy loss in force transmission from actuators to fingers through Bowden tubes. Landry is also mentoring a capstone team whose project involves the development of a strength-amplifying robotic glove.

Undergraduate Students

Santiago Gonzalez

Santiago Gonzalez is a Senior Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M University. He is passionate about Mechanical Design, 3D modeling, and prototyping. His current research focuses on the design of rolling contact joints and strength augmentation through tendon-routing techniques. Utilizing the experience he gained in the turbomachinery industry and robotics, he is currently designing the joints and tendon routing for mechanically-actuated fingers that will be used for the HAND project.

Kayson Hergert

Kayson Hergert is a Mechanical Engineering senior at Texas A&M University. Her current research focuses on the hardware design of a human input device for a lower-limb exoskeleton, with the goal of improving user interaction and performance. Her interests include mechanical design, product prototyping, and system integration, with a focus on robotics and human-centered design.

James Lee

James Lee is a senior Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M University, minoring in Electrical Engineering. He is passionate about controls and path planning within the realm of robotic manipulation. Utilizing the skills he gained from his previous research and internship experience, he is currently working on integrating various sensors and a real-time controller into the DUCK-E 2 exoskeleton.

Yousuf Shafiu

Yousuf Shafiu is a Mechanical Engineering Honors student concurrently pursuing the Master’s in Quantitative Finance program at the Mays Business School. He is passionate about robotics, applied mathematics, and dynamic modeling. Yousuf is currently focusing on the implementation of a real-time controller for the DUCK-E 2 exoskeleton to better understand human preferences when it comes to choosing between direct and autonomous exoskeleton control.

Eddy Silva

Eddy Silva is a multilingual and multicultural Senior Honors Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M, minoring in Business and Mathematics. He is passionate about Controls, Robotics, and Engineering and plans to also get a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering after his Bachelor’s degree. With some previous lab and internship experience, he is now working on the DUCK-E2 exoskeleton project and plans to publish a thesis through the URS program in Spring of 2026.

Alumni

Crystal Q Scott

BS Mechanical Engineering '24

Crystal designed numerous hardware components for the HERC lab’s strength amplification arm project in the summer of 2024, including the six-axis spring box pictured here. She departs to Pittsburgh for graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University.

Elizabeth Hannsz

BS Aerospace Engineering

Elizabeth is a talented mechanical designer working on designing a belt-less prosthetic knee for Open Source Leg (OSL).

Javid Mustafa

BS Mechanical Engineering '25

Javid has interned as an undergraduate researcher for the TAMU SpaceCRAFT, RAD, and HERC Labs working on software, system integration, and controls. His research centers around implementing and testing the efficacy of direct user inputs in training the personalized gait estimation controller for the MBLUE exoskeleton outside steady state laboratory conditions. .

Mamta Korwani

BS Mechanical Engineering '25

Mamta is a senior Mechanical Engineering student at Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on enabling direct user control of a knee exoskeleton by integrating mechanical design with software systems.

Willem Bannick

BS Mechanical Engineering '25

Willem is a Mechanical Engineering Senior at Texas A&M University. His current research focuses on the mitigation of displacement in lower-limb exoskeletons, and the hardware design of a human input device that could be used to train personalized gait patterns for lower-limb exoskeletons users.