Flexible Research Group
Director of the Flexible Research Group
Jonathan B. Hopkins
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Vice-chair for Graduate Affairs
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, 2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2007
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2005
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Current Graduate Researchers
Michael Porter
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Institute of
Technology, Atlanta, GA
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California,
Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Started: September 2015
Research Topic:
Modeling of optical-tweezers systems
Samuel Shimohara
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Started: August 2017
Research Topic:
Compliant system optimization
Amin Farzaneh
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Khaje Nasir Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Started: December 2018
Research Topic:
Mechanical logic-based architected materials
Talmage Jones
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Started: October 2020
Research Topic:
Compliant midsole design
Zhidi Yang
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Started: April 2020
Research Topic:
Flexible systems design, optimization, and control
Armin Pomeroy
Ph.D. Candidate
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Started: May 2020
Research Topic:
Compliant auxetic screw design and optimization
Nigel Archer
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Started: July 2020
Research Topic:
SolidWorks FACT-Add-in development
Melika Ahmadi
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Started: October 2021
Research Topic:
Additive microfabrication of mechanical logic gates via two-photon lithography
Ivan Biggs
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
B.E. Mechanical Engineering
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Started: October 2021
Research Topic:
Microgranular crystal fabrication via optical-tweezer assembly
Pietro Sainaghi
Ph.D. Candidate
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
Started: October 2022
Research Topic:
Mechanical neural networks: architected materials that learn
Alexander Tsao
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Started: May 2023
Research Topic:
Additive microfabrication
James Langer Weida
Masters Student
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Started: June 2023
Research Topic:
Building a compliant mattress to eliminate bed sores
Siyuan Shao
Ph.D. Pre-candidate
M.S. Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
B.S. Aerospace Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Started: July 2023
Research Topic:
Large-deformation theory
Current Undergraduate Researchers
Brandon Reedel, “Development of an Actuated Mattress to Assess Bed Sore Prevention,” Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 07/21 to Present
Christopher Jawetz, “Creation of One-dimensional-jamming Architected Materials and Robots,” Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 05/21 to Present
Cole Ten, “Development of a SolidWorks Add-in that Uses the Freedom and Constraint Topologies (FACT) Approach to Facilitate Mechanism Design,” Undergraduate Student, University of California, Los Angeles, 02/21 to Present
Flexible Research Group Alumni
Postdoctoral Researchers and Staff Research Associates
1. Gaurav Singh (Postdoctoral Researcher), 03/14 to 02/15
2. Babak Haghpanah (Staff Research Associate), 02/15 to 04/15
3. Alp Karakoc (Volunteer Postdoctoral Researcher), 04/16 to 08/17
4. James Simonelli (Postdoctoral Researcher), 03/17 to 11/18
5. Lucas A. Shaw (Postdoctoral Researcher), 06/18 to 09/18
6. Yuanping (Adam) Song (Postdoctoral Researcher), 07/18 to 11/18
Graduated Ph.D. Students with Theses Published from our Group
1. Frederick Sun, 01/14 to 12/17
2. Lucas A. Shaw, 07/13 to 05/18
3. Yuanping (Adam) Song, 12/13 to 05/18
4. Samira Chizari, 10/15 to 12/20
M.S. Students and other Ph.D. Students who conducted research in our Group
1. Amir Behbahani (Volunteer), 10/13 to 12/13
2. Siyu Chen (Volunteer), 01/14 to 06/14
3. Ryan Budiman (Volunteer), 01/14 to 06/14
4. Peter Dohm, 03/15 to 06/16
5. Ali Hatamizadeh, 09/15 to 03/18
6. Talmage Jones, 09/16 to 06/18
7. James Simonelli, 10/16 to 03/17
8. Rodolfo Barranco, 10/17 to 06/20
Visiting Students and Scholars
1. Arnoud Delissen (Visiting Student from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands), 05/15 to 09/15
2. Erwin Mulder (Visiting Student from University of Twente in the Netherlands), 07/17 to 10/17
3. Reinier Kuppens (Visiting Student from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands), 09/19 to 01/20
Volunteer Undergraduate Researchers
1. Spencer White, 10/13 to 04/16
2. Conner Sharpe, 10/13 to 06/15
3. Alexander Phinney, 02/14 to 05/14
4. Mitchell Barnes-Wallace, 04/14 to 10/14
5. Chuyang Cai, 06/14 to 07/14
6. Ziran Gu, 06/14 to 08/14
7. Travis Iiyama, 06/14 to 09/14
8. Brian Louie, 06/14 to 09/14
9. Rayshaun Preston (CEED), 10/14 to 12/14
10. Max Vela (CEED), 10/14 to 12/14
11. Eloy Torres (CEED), 10/14 to 12/14
12. Noor Eltawil, 10/14 to 12/14
13. Johannes Henriksson, 01/15 to 05/15
14. Edgar Lopez (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15
15. Sydney Austin (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15, and 06/17 to 06/20
16. Josue Castillo (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15
17. Samuel Carrell (CEED), 10/15 to 12/15
18. Kevin Christensen, 10/15 to 06/16
19. Matthew Turk, 01/16 to 12/16
19. David Parker, 07/16 to 08/16
20. Michael Jedynak, 08/16 to 03/17
21. Matthew Dotson, 03/17 to 05/18
22. Ryan Poon, 06/18 to 06/19
23. Nikhil Pawar, 06/18 to 06/20
24. Christopher Clavelli, 06/19 to 06/20
Summer High School Students
1. Jaselinne Garcia (HSSRP), 06/14 to 08/14
2. Estefania Lahera (HSSRP), 06/14 to 08/14
3. Samir Kamnani (HSSRP), 06/15 to 08/15
4. Daniel Pikula (HSSRP), 06/15 to 08/15
5. Kenneth Tochihara (HSSRP), 06/17 to 08/17
6. Victor Saldana (HSSRP), 06/17 to 08/17
7. Mark Lee, 07/19 to 08/19
8. Artina Tarokh, 06/21 to 08/21