William Stewart, PhD

Bio: 

William Stewart joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Fall of 2022. Prof. Stewart’s research interest primarily lies in multimodal robotics. In particular, he is interested in eclectic robot design, drawing principles from a wide range of sources such as soft robotics, biology, and science fiction. He aims to develop new technologies that can expand the capabilities of aerial, ground, underwater, and soft robotics in challenging environments, increasing overall robustness and safety. These aims are achieved through practical modeling, rigorous experimentation, and full vehicle validation. He serves as a reviewer for many journals including Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, Robotics and Automation Letters, and Springer Nature Applied Sciences. 

Education:

• North Carolina State University, Aerospace Engineering, Ph.D. 2018
• North Carolina State University, Aerospace Engineering, M.S. 2014
• North Carolina State University, Aerospace Engineering, B.S. 2012
  
  

Professional Experience:

• Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 2022 – present
• Postdoctoral Researcher, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 2018 – 2022
  
  

Awards & Publications:

• Recipient of the ONR 2026 Young Investigator Award

Professional Memberships & Service:

• TBD

Overview:

TBD

Highlights & Accomplishments:

• Developed First Ever Fixed-Wing UUV-UAV
• Built UAV That Leverages Wind, Rather Than Resists It
• Optimized a Woodpecker-Inspired UAV that Survives High-Speed Collisions

 

Research Interests:

• UAVs in Gusting Wind Conditions
• Bio-Inspired Undersea Robotics
• Weird Robots

• $2.4M Naval Grant Opens Doors for Stony Brook Research Team 
• Collision-Resilient Tensegrity UAV