Michael West
Postdoc at Johns Hopkins | Incoming Professor at Georgia Tech | MIT PhD | Research Focus: Human Motor Control, Robotics, Rehabilitation, and Dexterous Manipulation
- Role
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Whiting School Of Engineering
- Location
- Cambridge, MA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Michael West
Dr. Michael West Jr, originally from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is currently a postdoctoral trainee at Johns Hopkins University in the Haptics and Medical Robotics (HAMR) Laboratory under Professor Jeremy Brown. There, he explores the role of haptic feedback in various manipulation and perceptual tasks. He aims to use this knowledge to enhance robotic rehabilitation devices designed to restore sensorimotor deficits. Previously, Michael completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in May 2024, under Professor Neville Hogan. There, his research focused on improving control algorithms for robots used in rehabilitation and dexterous manipulation. He investigated human upper-limb motor control and perception during complex manipulation tasks, introducing novel analytical techniques and experimental paradigms that yielded new insights to the field. For his work, he has been awarded the MIT OGE Diversity Fellowship, UCEM Sloan Scholarship, GEM University Associate Fellowship, Ford Foundation Fellowship, Ben Gold Fellowship, Takeda Fellowship, Accenture Fellowship, and the Johns Hopkins University Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University (2018) and a Master of Science from MIT (2020). Notably, Dr. West has recently been hired to join the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech as an Assistant Professor! Starting in August 2027, he will establish his own research laboratory focused on using insights from human motor control and perception to develop innovative rehabilitation technologies, such as prosthetics, exoskeletons, and therapeutic robots. Throughout his career, A. Michael West Jr. has been a passionate volunteer and mentor for students from underrepresented backgrounds through his work in STEM teaching and mentoring programs. This includes but is not limited to his previous positions as President of the National Society of Black Engineers Yale Chapter, Treasurer of the Academy of Courageous Minority Engineers at MIT, Treasurer of the Black Graduate Student Association at MIT, Pod Leader for the MIT Summer Research Program, and Graduate Diversity Ambassador at MIT. In his free time, Michael enjoys playing sports, video games, card/board games, watching movies and television. In the future, Michael hopes to continue to support and guide students of all backgrounds, especially those underrepresented, towards STEM fields, as a tenure-track professor.
Experience
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Johns Hopkins Whiting School Of Engineering
Aug 2024 — Present
Education
Yale University
Bachelor of Science - BS
2014 — 2018
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of Science - MS
2018 — 2020
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