Portfolio
Rohan Kota
Building at the intersection of embedded systems, autonomous robotics, and aerospace engineering. Turning complex problems into elegant, reliable solutions.
Academic Background
Education
From USC to Northwestern. Fight on forever.
Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering
Northwestern University
Pursuing a doctorate focused on robotic teleoperation, haptic feedback, and tactile sensing. Advised by J. Edward Colgate at the Center for Robotics and Biosystems.
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
University of Southern California
Completed a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering concurrent with undergraduate studies.
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
University of Southern California
Graduated as the top undergraduate student across all disciplines, earning the Trustee Award and the Philip S. Biegler Memorial Award for highest GPA in electrical engineering.
Work & Research
Experience
From semiconductors and rockets to haptics research at Northwestern.
Center for Robotics and Biosystems, Northwestern University
Graduate Student Researcher
Investigating methods to make robotic teleoperation faster, more natural, and less fatiguing. Developed a high-stiffness bilateral control device providing kinesthetic force feedback and high-resolution cutaneous feedback. Built a teleoperated anthropomorphic "robotic dexterity testbed" that relays haptic touch information to the human operator.
SpaceX
Associate Engineer
Programmed ABB robots to manufacture Starlink V2 satellite solar panels. Designed custom part presenters and end effectors, pioneered new TCP teaching methods, and built a live production dashboard to identify bottlenecks and minimize downtime.
SpaceX
Vehicle Engineering Intern
Redesigned solenoid valve tooling to save 20+ manufacturing hours weekly and validated upgrades through vibration testing. Modeled, manufactured, and installed 40+ parts now used in Starship's highest-volume manufacturing operations.
Lam Research
Mechatronics Intern
Developed a computer vision system achieving 16-micron robot position correction accuracy, and an automated verification system with 5–6 micron repeatability. Automated 15+ test sequences for newly-built semiconductor manufacturing robots.
Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM), USC
Undergraduate Student Researcher
Designed, assembled, and installed custom robotic grippers to manipulate flexible materials such as fabric. Built grippers for $160 capable of lifting 8–10 layers of fabric at once — vs. $5,000 industrial grippers that could lift only one layer. Attached grippers to robotic arms and programmed a ROS cell capable of autonomously folding t-shirts.
Lam Research
Electrical Engineering Intern
Utilized LabVIEW to develop an automated test program verifying the linearity of RF Power Generators. Assisted in producing a lifetime test fixture for an RF Matching Network and wrote code to analyze encoder signals for motor rotation verification.
Recognition
Awards
Fellowships and honors received for academic and research excellence.
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
U.S. Department of Defense
Selected for the NDSEG Fellowship providing 3 years of full tuition and stipend funding through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).
Trustee Award
University of Southern California
Awarded to the single undergraduate student across all disciplines graduating with the highest GPA at the University of Southern California.
Philip S. Biegler Memorial Award
University of Southern California
Awarded to the electrical engineering student graduating with the highest GPA at the University of Southern California.
Press & Coverage
Media
Coverage, features, and stories from across the engineering and political landscape.
The 'Hands Problem' Holding Back the Humanoid Revolution
Humanoid robots can walk and carry loads, but their hands remain the key barrier to true human-level dexterity. Researchers at Northwestern's HAND Engineering Research Center are working toward functional hand dexterity within a 10-year horizon.
At Evanston May Day Rally, Protesters Decry Trump Administration Cuts
About 300 people rallied at Evanston's Fountain Square to protest Trump's first 100 days. Northwestern mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Rohan Kota described how federal funding cuts have forced fellow students to immediately halt their research.
May Day Protest in Evanston Draws Hundreds Against Trump
Approximately 350 Evanston community members gathered at Fountain Square for a May Day rally organized by Indivisible Evanston, protesting Trump administration actions against federal workers and research funding.
Evanston Residents Mobilize for Labor, Immigration, Welfare Rights in May Day Rally
More than 400 community members rallied at Fountain Square. Northwestern Ph.D. candidate Rohan Kota spoke about federal stop-work orders affecting graduate research funding across the country.
Research Output
Publications
On a mission to improve robotic teleoperation through the sense of touch.
Dead Zone Bilateral Control for High Performance Robotic Teleoperation
R. Kota, P. Dills, G. Reardon, M. Elwin, J.E. Colgate
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters · 2026