Hayden Webb

PhD Student (Cornell University) & Future Roboticist

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hw846@cornell.edu

I am a PhD student at Cornell University obtaining a PhD in Robotics with a focus in Mechanical Engineering & Computer Science in the Organic Robotics Lab under the direction of Rob Shepherd. I am also a recent graduate of Rice University where I obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Minor in Engineering Design). I am broadly interested in bio-mimetic robotics, integrable technology, and mechatronic devices that can be utilized to interact with the world around us, and I explore these various topics in my research.

At Rice, I served as a Robotics Research Assistant in the RobotPi Lab under the direction of Dr. Kaiyu Hang, publishing one first-author paper and acquiring a supplementary patent. Additionally, I have worked for both the Rice University Mechanical Engineering Department and Rice University Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen as a Teaching Assistant to further promote and teach Engineering in the Rice undergraduate & graduate community.

news

Sep 15, 2025 I was selected to participate in the Graduate School Dean’s Scholar Engagement Seminar at Cornell
Aug 28, 2025 I was awarded the IROS-SDC (Students and Developing Countries) Travel Award for the 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2025)!
Jun 15, 2025 My first-author paper on the Roller Ring was accepted for publication in the 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2025)!
May 10, 2025 I’ve graduated from Rice University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Engineering Design, and a Distinction in Research and Creative Works!
Mar 22, 2025 I was accepted and have committed to Cornell University’s Robotics PhD Program! I’ll be starting my graduate program in the Fall of 2025 with an expected graduation date of Spring 2030.

selected publications

  1. RR_Softball.gif
    Wearable Roller Rings to Augment In-Hand Manipulation through Active Surfaces
    H. Webb, P. Chanrungmaneekul, S. Yuan, and 1 more author
    In 2025 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2025