Research + Resume

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SHAPE Lab // Stanford University

Advisor: Sean Follmer, August 2021 – Present

PhD candidate using mechatronics to develop reconfigurable surfaces and study human-computer interaction.

Reconfigurable Surface Display

Designing and manufacturing network of robots for driving a reconfigurable, curved surface formed of elastic grid shells. Distributed control of many individual actuators behaving in tandem to form curved surfaces. Unpublished. Read more about this project.

Time lapse of simulated surface display

Developed interactive tactile graphic with audio feedback using Unity for comparison with novel 1-DOF haptic device for conveying shape of graphs to blind or visually impaired users. Read more about this project.

Diagram of the slide-tone and tilt-tone haptic device

Danyang Fan, Alexa Fay Siu, Wing-Sum Adrienne Law, Raymond Ruihong Zhen, Sile O’Modhrain, and Sean Follmer. 2022. Slide-Tone and Tilt-Tone: 1-DOF Haptic Techniques for Conveying Shape Characteristics of Graphs to Blind Users. In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 477, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3517790

Teaching Experience

Course Assistant for ME 210: Introductory Mechatronics

Winter Quarter of Academic Year 2022-2023

Planned and led weekly office hours. Designed final project for students to demonstrate mastery of event-driven programming and electromechanical systems integration.

Teaching Assistant for Introductory Biology

Academic Year 2017-2018

Planned and led weekly 2 hour discussion sections including quizzes and problem solving activities for Introductory Biology at Columbia University.

Previous Research

Chaudhuri Lab // Stanford University

Advisor: Ovijit Chaudhuri, January 2019 – June 2020

Graduate researcher studying mechanics of breast cancer and endometrial cell migration. Applied engineering analyses to understanding force generation by migrating cells in viscoelastic & plastic biomaterials. Fabricating and mechanically characterized biomaterials.

Steele Lab // University of Washington

Advisor: Kat Steele, June 2017 – September 2017

REU. Developed models and simulated gait for children with cerebral palsy using inverse kinematics and inverse dynamics.

Education

Stanford University

Fall 2018 - Present

PhD candidate in mechanical engineering (GPA 3.95).

Relevant Courses:

Mechatronics
- ME218A Project: https://me218laser.weebly.com/
- ME218B Project: https://me218powerpuff.weebly.com/
Elasticity & Plasticity
Lagrangian Mechanics

Columbia University

Fall 2014 - Spring 2018

Graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. (GPA 3.95).

Relevant Courses:

Modeling & ID of Dynamic Systems
Finite Element Analysis

Skills

Programming	Mechatronics	Software
C, C++	Microcontroller subsystems	Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
Python	Event-driven programming	Solidworks, PTC Creo, Fusion 360, AutoCAD
MATLAB	Circuits	Microsoft Office
HTML, CSS, JavaScript

Other Experience

BioJam

Winter 2020 - Winter 2021

Developed fundraising strategy for BioJam, a fledgeling non-profit organization. Applied to grants and fostered sponsorship relationships to fund creative STEM education in local, underserved communities.

Introductory Biology Teaching Assistant

September 2017 – May 2018

Planned and led weekly 2 hour discussion sections including quizzes and problem solving activities for Introductory Biology at Columbia University.

Columbia University Engineers Without Borders

Fall 2014 - Spring 2018

Grant writer and Co-President focused on strengthening relationships with alumni, mentor orgs, and sponsors

Honors

Stanford Graduate Fellowship