People
Interested in joining the Microrobotics Lab? Click here for information for potential students.
Lab Director

Eric Diller, Ph.D., P.Eng.
- Dean’s Catalyst Professor of Mechanical Engineering
- Associate Professor
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
- PhD Carnegie Mellon University, U.S.A.
- BS & MS, Case Western Reserve University, U.S.A.
- Dr. Diller has led the Microrobotics Lab since 2014. His work is on micro-scale robotics and bio-inspired novel locomotion systems, and features fabrication and control relating to remote actuation of micro-scale devices using magnetic fields, micro-scale robotic manipulation, and smart materials.
- Dr. Diller is the recipient of the MIE Department Early Career Teaching Award, the UofT Connaught New Researcher Award, the Ontario Early Researcher Award, the I.W. Smith Award from the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineers, the Dean’s Catalyst Professorship from the UofT Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, the McCharles Prize for Early Career Research Distinction from the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, and the Early Academic Career Award in Robotics and Automation from the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.
Post-Doctoral Researcher
None currently
Graduate Student Researchers

Cameron Forbrigger
- PhD student (starting from Jan. 2018), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- Master of Applied Science, Dalhousie Univ. (2015-17), studied mechatronics and robotics with applications in abrasive manufacturing
- Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie Univ. (2011-15)

Priscilla Lai
- PhD student (starting from Sept. 2018), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- MASc, University of Waterloo
- BASc, University of Waterloo

Zhaoxin (Jason) Li
- PhD student (starting from May 2019), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- M.Eng., University of Toronto, Canada
- B.Eng., South China University of Technology, China

Xiaoyun Liu
- PhD student (starting from Sept. 2019), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- MASc, Columbia University, USA
- B. Eng., Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Adam Schonewille
- MASc student (starting from Sept. 2018)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- Bachelors of Applied Science in Engineering Physics (2013-2018), University of British Columbia

Mihai Nica
- MASc student (starting from Sept. 2018)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- Bachelors of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering (2013-2017), Concordia University

Lyle Gauthier
- MASc student (starting from Sept. 2019)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie Univ.
- Engineering Diploma, Univ. of Prince Edward Island

Chloe Pogue
- MASc student (starting from Sept. 2019)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- B.Eng in Mechanical Engineering (2014-2019), McGill University

Monisha Naik
- MASc student (starting from Sept. 2019)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- Bachelors of Applied Science in Mechatronics Engineering (2014-2019), University of Waterloo

Robin Liu
- MASc student (starting from Jan. 2020)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- Bachelors of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering (2013-2018), University of Waterloo
Research Assistants
Daniel Esser
Alumni

Jaekwang Nam, Ph.D.
- MS & Ph.D. in Mechanical Convergence Eng. from the Hanyang Univ., Seoul, South Korea in 2018.
- BS in Mechanical Eng. from Hanyang Univ., Seoul, South Korea in 2011.
- From 2011 to 2012, his research topic was an optimal design of electric actuators to reduce mechanical vibration.
- From 2013 to 2017, he studied about various structures of magnetic robots performing multifunctions in human blood vessels and their magnetic actuation system.
- From 2018 to 2019, he worked at LG Electronics, investigating in-wheel type motors for personal mobility vehicles.

Mohammad Salehizadeh
- Ph.D. Student
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- MASc, Concordia Univ., Canada
- BS, Isfahan Univ. of Technology, Iran

Onaizah Onaizah
- PhD student, graduated in 2019.
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- MSc, Univ. of Western Ontario, Canada
- BSc, Univ. of Toronto, Canada

Sajad Salmanipour
- PhD student, graduated in 2020.
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- MASc, McMaster Univ., Canada
- BS, Amirkabir Univ. of Technology, Iran


Dr. Jiachen Zhang
- PhD Student, graduated 2018.
- Personal Website, LinkedIn
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto

Andrew Lim
- MHSc student (Co-Supervised with James Drake at SickKids Hospital)
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto

Tianqi Xu
- MASc student (starting from Sept. 2016)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- BS, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Omid Youssefi
- MASc student (starting from Sept. 2016)
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- BS, University of Toronto
Saba Sabetian
- MASc student (Co-Supervised with James Drake at SickKids Hospital)
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto MASc student (Co-Supervised with James Drake at SickKids Hospital)

Sviatoslav Leniuk
- Undergraduate Student, University of Toronto
- Division of Engineering Science (Robotics Option)

Youyang Li
- Undergraduate Student, University of Toronto
- Division of Engineering Science

Alexi Tracey
- Undergraduate Student, University of Toronto
- Division of Engineering Science

Sumanth Kandala
- International Undergraduate Student under MITACS Globalink Research Internship Program (Summer 2019)
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay




Seifeldin Hassan
- Undergraduate student at UofT
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Jessica Campos
- International Undergraduate Student under Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Program (starting from May 2017)
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tec de Monterrey, Mexico

Patrick Ryan
- MASc Student, graduated 2017.
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto

Zhe Li
- MASc Student, graduated 2017.
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto

Daniel Franca
- International Undergraduate Student from Brazil (starting from May 2016)
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais – PUCMG
- Daniel Franca Resume


Ahmed Ujjainwala
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto
- Undergraduate student

Joe Ajoy
- Grade 11, Co-op Student
- Michael Power St. Joseph
Xian Wang
- Exchange Undergraduate Student
- BS, Tianjin University, China
- Currently works as an graduate student in AMNL Lab, dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto.
Hweedo Chan
- Undergraduate Student
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto