Professor | NUS Singapore
Cecilia Laschi is best-known for her research in soft robotics, an area that she pioneered and contributed to develop at international level. She investigates fundamental challenges for building robots with soft materials, with a bioinspired approach which started with a study of the octopus as a model for robotics. She explores marine applications of soft robots and their use in the biomedical field, with a focus on eldercare. She has worked in humanoid and neuro-robotics, applying brain models in humanoid robots.
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Matteo Lo Preti is a Postdoctoral Researcher at NUS and previously worked at the Soft BioRobotics Perception lab (IIT, Italy).He completed his Ph.D. in BioRobotics at Scuola Superiore Sant' Anna in 2023 and was a visiting Ph.D. student at the Reconfigurable Robotics Lab (EPFL, CH). He obtained his B.Sc. degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Pisa in 2017, followed by an M.Sc. degree in Bionics Engineering from the University of Pisa jointly Scuola Superiore Sant' Anna in 2019. His research focuses on advancing soft sensing technologies for tactile-driven intelligent systems.
I am from Pakistan. I am currently working as a PostDoc at NUS. I did my PhD in Biorobotics (Oct 2020 - Mar 2024) from The Biorobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellowship on imitative and adaptive real-time control of soft robots via machine learning strategies. Before that, I did my Master’s in Advanced Robotics Plus (EMARO+) under the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree (EMJMD) program (2018-2020) with first year in Warsaw University of Technology in Poland and second year in Ecole Centrale de Nantes in France. For my Master’s thesis, I worked in Team RAINBOW, Inria/IRISA in France on deep learning-based control system for a team of drones.
Baljinder Singh Bal is a PhD candidate at the CY Cergy Paris University and a Visiting scholar at the National University of Singapore, where his research focuses on the planning and control of assistive soft robots. He specializes in bio-inspired cognitive architectures and Active Inference, developing adaptive controllers for robots operating in contact-rich, unstructured environments. Prior to his PhD, he worked as a Robotics Software Engineer at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), developing real-time perception and control systems for heavy industrial manipulators. He holds a Master’s in Automation Engineering from the University of Bologna.
Peiyi Wang is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and an Adjunct Research Fellow at NUS, working closely with Prof. Cecilia Laschi and Prof. Daniela Rus. He was a visiting Ph.D. student at NUS from 2021 to 2023, subsequently served as a Research Fellow from 2024 to 2025, and was a Visiting Scholar at MIT CSAIL in 2026. His research lies at the intersection of soft and continuum robotics, physical adaptability, and intelligent robotic systems, with applications in adaptive manipulation and human-centered robotics. He explores how mechanical morphology, proprioceptive sensing, and intelligent control can be integrated to enable robots to perceive, adapt, and physically interact with complex environments and humans.
Wenci is currently a postdoctoral researcher at NUS/SMART. He received his Ph.D. in bio-inspired robotics from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2025. Prior to this, he obtained his B.Eng. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2019, and his M.Phil. degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, in 2021. His research interests include bio-inspired robots, soft robots, soft sensors, and their applications.
Lucia Tontini is a PhD candidate in the Italian National PhD Programme in Robotics and Intelligent Machines (DRIM) and a member of the Advanced Robotics and Human-Centred Technologies Laboratory (CREO Lab, Campus Bio-Medico of Rome). Her research focuses on the design and development of soft and soft-rigid robotic systems, with applications in assistive and rehabilitation robotics. Her work explores novel mechanical architectures and biofunctional design approaches to develop robotic technologies capable of adapting to human motion and interaction. She holds a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome.
Visiting period: 03 May 2026 - 14 December 2026
Dipro is a direct PhD student at the National University of Singapore and a recipient of the prestigious Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) scholarship. He completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Jadavpur University, India, and has prior research experience in electrohydraulic system control, including a peer-reviewed conference presentation. His current research interests lie at the intersection of soft robotics and control theory.
Born in 1998 and hailing from Hunan, China, I completed my undergraduate and master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. My master's thesis was titled "Research on Flexible Six-axis Force Sensor for Curved Surface Sensing of Climbing Robot". In addition, I possess considerable skills in circuit design and embedded system development. During my PhD, my research focuses on the design and control of soft robots related to healthcare.
I completed my Bachelor of technology (B. Tech) in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of technology, Hyderabad (IITH) in 2024. I was awarded the Najafi & Singh undergraduate research excellence award at IITH. I worked as a student researcher at IITH before joining as a PhD student at NUS under the guidance of Prof. Cecilia Laschi. My current topic of research is the design and application of energy efficient underwater soft robots.
Hui Fang is a PhD President's Graduate Fellowship candidate. She graduated with Highest Distinction in BEng (Mechanical Engineering) from Nanyang Technological University Singapore, specializing in Robotics and Mechatronics. Her current research ventures into the field of soft robotics, with a keen focus on developing artificial organs for the digestive system. This work aims to significantly benefit both the scientific community and the general public. During her free time, she enjoys sports and hunting delicious delicacies in Singapore!
I am a first year PhD student graduated from the National University of Singapore. My research focus is in distributed soft robotics control. My research interests span a wide spectrum, ranging from bio-inspired robotics to the domain of underwater autonomous vehicles, with a particular emphasis on robot control and navigation.
Qin Zhihang is currently pursuing his Ph.D. under the guidance of Prof. Cecilia Laschi in the Soft Robotics Lab at the National University of Singapore. He obtained his B.Eng. degree in Engineering Mechanics at Tongji University in 2019. He obtained his M.Eng. degree in Materials Science and Engineering at the National University of Singapore in 2022. He is now focusing on the research topic of biodegradable underwater robotics that contains bio-inspired mechanical structure design/analysis for robotics/soft robotics, DIW 3D printing, and biodegradable materials.
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Huang Huishi is currently pursuing her Ph.D. degree under the joint supervision of Prof. Marcelo Ang and Prof. Cecilia LASCHI. She received her B.Sc. degree from Beijing Institute of Technology in 2021 and her M.Sc. degree from University College London in 2022. She is interested in the integration of AI-combined algorithms for biomimetic soft robot control and advanced grasping strategies.
I graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign (UIUC) in May 2026, with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (minors in Computer Science and Physics), where I worked on various research projects in controls, advanced manufacturing, and material science. My current research interests lie at the intersection of materials and manufacturing, electronics-free soft robots, and modeling of soft systems. In my free time, I enjoy reading and playing story-based video games.
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SRL Role: Research Fellow
New Role: Associate Professor at Southern University of Science and Technology, China
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SRL Role: Research Fellow
New Role: Associate Professor at Southeast University, China
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I have completed my Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore. My Research Interests include Mechatronics, Soft robotics, Bio-inspired Robotics, Shape Memory Alloy, and Smart Materials.
SRL Role: Research Assistant
New Role: PhD student at University of Manchester, UK
SRL Role: Master's Thesis Student
New Role: Joint PhD student at ETH Zurich and Max Planck Institute of Germany
SRL Role: Master's Thesis Student
SRL Role: Master's Thesis Student
SRL Role: Visiting PhD student
I hold a Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, along with a master's degree in project management. To further enhance my expertise, I completed a Machine Learning course using Python at the National University of Singapore, acquiring advanced skills in data science and artificial intelligence.Currently, I work at CARTIN where I coordinate and manage a variety of research activities to optimize project workflows. I ensure a seamless operation and foster collaboration across interdisciplinary teams, driving successful research initiatives. I am passionate about supporting the research objectives of faculty members and students. My research interests include machine learning, soft robotics, smart grids, and sustainability.
