Current Research

Together with Assistant Professor Ersin Das and Corbin Lujan, I am developing and optimizing a closed-loop feedback control system for an unmanned underwater vehicle using the Gazebo UUV Simulator, with additional evaluation in computational fluid dynamics software. This work examines how interaction with the surrounding fluid field influences controller behavior, stability, and overall vehicle response. The project has direct real-world relevance to autonomous underwater navigation, where robust control in complex fluid environments is critical for inspection, surveillance, environmental monitoring, and subsea infrastructure operations.

I am currently researching and writing a paper on what ADM Hyman G. Rickover’s nuclear Navy can teach the United States as it enters an era of artificial intelligence, unmanned vessels, and autonomous decision aids. Through a historical study of the rise of naval nuclear propulsion, I am examining how Rickover’s culture of technical discipline, rigorous training, and institutional ownership made a transformative technology dependable in practice. This project argues that the Navy’s unmanned future will require the same depth of standards, accountability, and leadership if autonomous systems are to be fielded effectively and responsibly.