Our Team

The interdisciplinary SHARE Lab members who fuel our research projects

Prof. Naomi Fitter logo

Prof. Naomi Fitter

Assistant Professor

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Prof. Fitter leads the SHARE Lab. She is an Associate Professor (effective fall 2024) in the School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University. She completed a Ph.D. in the University of Pennsylvania GRASP Lab and was a postdoc in the University of Southern California Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center.

Rhian Preston logo

Rhian Preston

PhD Student

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Rhian is a PhD student in Robotics and ARCS Scholarship recipient in the SHARE Lab researching socially assistive robotics. He has previous degrees in nuclear engineering and robotics from Oregon State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Additionally, he spent 5 years at Framatome where he designed nuclear fuel, smart cranes, and robotics for nuclear reactors.

Triniti Armstrong logo

Triniti Armstrong

PhD Student

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Triniti is a PhD student in Robotics in the SHARE Lab researching smart robotic grasping. She completed her undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at Baylor University. Triniti is also advised by Dr. Joe Davidson.

Nnamdi Nwagwu logo

Nnamdi Nwagwu

PhD Student

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Nnamdi is a PhD student in Robotics and ARCS Scholarship recipient in the SHARE Lab who researches nonverbal robot expression and perceptions of non-anthropomorphic robots. He completed his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at Cornell University.

Antara Shah logo

Antara Shah

PhD Student

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Antara is a PhD student in AI and Robotics in the SHARE Lab who researches appropriate encouragement in human-robot exercise interactions. She completed her undergraduate studies in computer science at Iowa State University.

Yuqi (Tracy) Yang logo

Yuqi (Tracy) Yang

PhD Student

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Tracy is a PhD student in Robotics in the SHARE Lab who researches child-robot interaction. She completed her undergraduate studies in computer science and cognitive science at Franklin & Marshall College.

Jorge Ruballos logo

Jorge Ruballos

MS Student

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Jorge is a Thesis Robotics MS student in the SHARE Lab working on assistive robots for older adults.

Loni Halsted-Ruelas logo

Loni Halsted-Ruelas

PhD Student

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Loni is an incoming PhD student in the lab. She completed her undergradaute degree in computer science at UC Santa Cruz.

Kevin Sabbe logo

Kevin Sabbe

MS Student

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Kevin is a Thesis Robotics MS student in the SHARE Lab working on robot comedy and assistive robots for older adults.

Mindy Altschul logo

Mindy Altschul

MS Student

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Mindy is an incoming Thesis Robotics MS student in the SHARE Lab.

Lara Rupnawar logo

Lara Rupnawar

Undergraduate Researcher

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Lara is an undergraduate researcher working on infant-robot motor interventions as part of the URSA Engage program (2023 awardee). She is also a summer 2023 REU Site participant.

Adeline Schneider logo

Adeline Schneider

Undergraduate Researcher

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Addie is an undergraduate researcher working on expressive robots working as part of the URSA Engage program (2023 awardee). She is also a summer 2023 REU Site participant.

Courtney (CJ) Chavez logo

Courtney (CJ) Chavez

Undergraduate Researcher

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CJ was a 2024 URSA Engage student with the lab. She continues to work with us, studying child-robot interaction, robot embodiment, and robot nudges.

Damien Pearl logo

Damien Pearl

Undergraduate Researcher

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Damien is a 2024 REU student doing ongoing work with the lab. His home university is UMass Amherst.

Madeline Cooper logo

Madeline Cooper

Undergraduate Researcher

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Madeline was a 2025 URSA Engage student who continues to do ongoing work with the lab on assistive robotics for older adults. She is a student in the Honors College.

Marshall Arnold logo

Marshall Arnold

Undergraduate Researcher

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Marshall was a 2025 URSA Engage student who continues to do ongoing work with the lab on older adult-robot interaction.

Andy Nguyen logo

Andy Nguyen

Undergraduate Researcher

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Andy is an undergraduate researcher with the lab who focuses on machine learning for home activity datasets.

Meet Raval logo

Meet Raval

Undergraduate Researcher

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Meet was a 2025 URSA Engage student. He continues to work with the lab on expressive robotics and haptics. He is a student in the Honors College.

Joanna Gutierrez logo

Joanna Gutierrez

Undergraduate Researcher

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Joanna is a 2025 REU student focused on older adult-robot interaction.

Heather Amistani logo

Heather Amistani

Undergraduate Researcher

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Heather is a 2025 REU student focused on robot nonverbal and verbal communication.

Alumni

PhD Students
  • Ameer Helmi: Robotics PhD Student 2019-2024. Now at Honeydew Consulting.
  • Brian Zhang: Robotics PhD student 2018-2023. Now a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California.
MS Students
  • Susan Liu: Project AI MS student 2023-2024. Now at Intel.
  • Ramya Challa: Project Robotics MS student 2022-2024. Now an incoming PhD student at Yale University.
  • Rafael Morales: Thesis Robotics MS student 2022-2024.
  • Jai'La Crider: Project Robotics MS student 2022-2024. Now at Apple.
  • Ayan Robinson: Project Robotics MS student 2022-2024. Now at Vanderdale.
  • Madison Shippy: Thesis Robotics MS student 2021-2023. Now at Medtronic.
  • Anisha Bontula: Thesis Robotics MS student 2021-2023. Now at Lucid Motors.
  • Carson Gray: Thesis Robotics MS student 2020-2022. Now in indie game development.
  • Ryan Quick: Thesis Robotics MS student 2019-2021. Now at Meta.
  • Hannah Brown: Thesis Robotics MS student 2019-2021. Now at Northrop Grumman.
  • Ashwin Vinoo: Project Robotics MS student 2018-2020. Now at Ashling.
Undergraduate Researchers
  • Tobias Kohn: undergraduate researcher during 2025 (URSA Engage Awardee during the 2025 cycle).
  • Wonjin Yang: undergraduate researcher during 2025 (URSA Engage Awardee during the 2025 cycle).
  • Stayce Mockel: undergradaute researcher 2023-24. Stayce completed her honors thesis on robot form and nonverbal expression with the lab.
  • Kate Metcalf: undergraduate researcher during 2024 (URSA Engage Awardee during the 2024 cycle).
  • Lily Oliphant: undergraduate researcher during 2024.
  • Janelle Godinez: undergraduate researcher during 2023-2024 (2023 OSU STEM Leaders awardee).
  • DeAndre Walcott: undergraduate researcher 2022-2023 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2022 cycle).
  • Ibrahim Syed: undergraduate researcher 2021-2024 (joint Music Technology and Computer Science Degree).
  • Kayla Asakawa: undergraduate researcher during 2023.
  • Emily Shannon: undergraduate researcher 2020-2023.
  • Carlana So: undergraduate researcher during 2023 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2023 cycle).
  • Isabella Mann: undergraduate researcher during 2023 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2023 cycle).
  • Huy Nguyen: undergraduate researcher during 2022 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2022 cycle).
  • Murphy James: undergraduate researcher during 2022 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2022 cycle).
  • Kahlan Fleiger-Holmes: undergraduate researcher during 2022 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2022 cycle).
  • Misael Torres: undergraduate researcher during 2020-2022 (2020 OSU STEM Leaders awardee).
  • Tyler Phelps: undergraduate researcher during 2021 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2021 cycle).
  • Rabecka Moffit: undergraduate researcher during 2021 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2021 cycle).
  • Christine Zhan: undergraduate researcher 2019-2022 (URSA Engage awardee during the 2020 cycle).
  • Paris Myers: Honors College undergraduate researcher 2020-2021.
  • Timothy Bui: Honors College undergraduate researcher 2019-2021.
  • Lilian Chan: undergraduate researcher 2019-2021. Did an honors thesis with the lab.
  • Joshua Phelps: summer 2020 undergraduate researcher from Brown University.
Summer REU Students
  • Kevin Sabbe: Kevin was a 2024 REU student (from Oregon State University) and undergraduate researcher with the lab 2024-25. After this undergraduate experience, he joined the lab as a graduate researcher.
  • Sarah Woods: summer 2023 REU student from Oregon State University. Sarah continued on with undergraduate research in the lab 2023-24.
  • Calvin Langdon: summer 2024 REU student from Eastern Oregon University.
  • Brianna Herrera: summer 2024 REU student from University of Texas at El Paso.
  • Jessica Herring: summer 2023 REU student from Berry College.
  • Abigail Leader: summer 2022 REU student from Oregon State University. She was also an URSA Engage awardee during the 2022 cycle.
  • Kenna Dinsdale: summer 2022 REU student from University of Oregon.
  • Fernando Castillo: summer 2022 REU student from Pomona College.
  • Lucas Dassonville: summer 2022 REU student from Oregon State University.
  • Noel Sigafoos: summer 2021 REU student from Pacific Lutheran University.
  • Shel-Twon Warren: summer 2021 REU student from University of Arkansas.
  • Kristen Koenig: summer 2021 REU student from Vassar College.
  • Karina Puente: summer 2020 REU student from Texas Tech University. Now a Robotics PhD Student at OSU.
  • Connor Phillips: summer 2020 REU student from Arizona State University.
  • Knut Peterson: summer 2020 REU student from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
  • Megan Johnson: summer 2020 REU student from University of Arizona.
  • Caitlin Frazee: summer 2020 REU student from University of Pennsylvania (Penn). Now a PhD student at Penn.
  • Sam Brimhall: summer 2020 REU student from Oregon State University.
  • Ella Bisbee: summer 2019 REU student visiting from Tufts University. Now at Ab Initio.
  • Luke Rush: summer 2019 REU student visiting from Goshen College. Now at Argonne National Lab.
Visiting Artists
  • Kate Ladenheim: visiting artist from the UCLA Department of Wolrd Cultures/Dance, 2025.
  • Mazdak Shadkam: visiting artist from OSU Art, 2020.
  • Nick Stargu: visiting artist in 2020 from the Bay Area comedy scene.
  • Aidan Phillips: visiting visual artist in 2019 from University of Pittsburgh.
Post-bacc Researchers
  • Lili Adams: post-bacc researcher 2020-2021.