About
Marine Research Associate, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
Adjunct Professor, Department of Ocean Engineering, University of Rhode Island
I am a marine robotics engineer developing sensing and data tools for oceanographic and polar research, the local marine environment, and dual-use defense applications. My current research focuses on acoustic and optical sensing, embedded systems, and data analysis with artificial intelligence. I build for low cost and field deployment, so that groups without a research vessel budget can still collect useful data. I have over 12 cumulative months of field work, flight hours, and sea time.
Before returning to URI, I was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Maryland Robotics Center, University of Maryland. I earned an MS and PhD in Ocean Engineering from URI under Dr. Brennan Phillips and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University. Before graduate school I served as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer in the US Navy.
Research
- Polar ice reconstruction (NeRFBerg). Aerial and underwater imagery and sonar of icebergs and sea ice ridges, reconstructed in 3D with neural radiance fields (NeRF) and Gaussian splatting. Field work in Greenland and the Antarctic Peninsula, plus air-deployed ice buoys with the International Arctic Buoy Programme.
- Acoustic sensing. Side-scan sonar processing and 3D sonar reconstruction, including survey work in Narragansett Bay.
- Low-cost deep-sea tools. The DEEPi camera system (tested past 5000 m), liquid-filled cameras, and a hydraulic drive for deep-sea soft robotic manipulators (tested to about 3000 m from R/V Falkor).
Teaching and Mentoring
- OCE360 Robotic Ocean Instrumentation Design and OCE560 Introduction to Data Collection Systems, co-taught with Dr. Mingxi Zhou (Fall 2026)
- OCE495 Ocean Systems Design Project I, advisor to the senior capstone Acoustics Team (2026-2027)
- Faculty mentor, URI AI Lab student team
Contact
CV (PDF) · Publications · Google Scholar · LinkedIn · GitHub