FACULTY
LEONARDO BOBADILLA
Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla (FIU) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University. He is interested in understanding the information requirements for solving fundamental robotics tasks such as navigation, patrolling, tracking, and motion safety and has deployed test-beds that can track and control a large number of mobile units that require minimal sensing, actuation, and computation. He received his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has received several awards and has published 37 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers. His research articles have appeared in prestigious journals such as IEEE Journal of Automation Science and Engineering, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, and ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks. His research has been sponsored by the Army Research Office, Department of Homeland Security, NSF, and the Ware Foundation. He has graduated three Ph.D. students and one master’s student who are well-placed in major companies and universities.
S. S. IYENGAR
Dr. S.S. Iyengar is currently the Distinguished University Professor, Founding Director of the Discovery Lab, and Director of the US Army-funded Center of Excellence in Digital Forensics at Florida International University, Miami. He has been involved with research and education in high-performance intelligent systems, Data Science and Machine Learning Algorithms, Sensor Fusion, Data Mining, and Intelligent Systems. Since receiving his Ph.D. degree in 1974 from Missi. State Univ., USA, he has directed over 65 Ph.D. students, many number of postdocs, and many research undergraduate students who are now faculty at Major Universities worldwide or Scientists or Engineers at National Labs/Industries around the world. He has published more than 600 research papers, has authored/co-authored and edited 32 books, and holds various patents. Over the lifetime, his work, Brooks-Iyengar Algorithm has over 5223 publications (s) on this topic and has received 138,976 citation(s). The topic is also known as Brooks–Iyengar hybrid algorithm. His h-index is 67 and is identified among the top 2% cited scholars and world scientists (from Stanford University and EBMs of JSAN journal. The book titled “Fundamentals of Brooks-Iyengar Distributed Sensing Algorithm” authored by Prof. Pawel (Poland) and others and published by Springer in 2020 celebrates S.S. Iyengar’s accomplishments that led to his 2019 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Cybermatics Congress “Test of Time Award” for his work on creating Brooks-Iyengar Algorithm and its impact in advancing modern computing. His work has been featured on the cover of many scientific journals like IEEE Transactions and the National Science Foundation’s breakthrough technologies report to the US Congress by his research group in both 2014 and again in 2016.
GRADUATE
PAULO PADRAO
Paulo Padrao is currently a research assistant in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University. His interests primarily relate to mobile robotics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, and engineering education. He received his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Control, Automation & Robotics) from the University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Before joining MoRA Lab at FIU, Paulo worked as a STEM instructor for 5+ years at Instituto Federal Fluminense, Brazil. He was also a visiting student at Santa Clara University (2012/2013), Stanford University (2013), University of Duisburg-Essen (2015), and the German Aerospace Center (2018).
JOSÉ FUENTES
José Fuentes is currently a graduate student and research student in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University, since 2022 he has been pursuing his Ph.D. degree in the program of computer sciences. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree and his Master’s degree in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics respectively at National University of Colombia. His interests are mainly applied math, inverse problems, and image processing being the last two his main areas of work during his Master’s degree in which he participated in projects concerning these areas. Also, he worked for more than two years as a graduate lecturer during his master’s degree finding out that education is one of his interests too.
[email] [LinkedIn]
ANTHONY DEVESA
NICOLE CRUZ
Nicole Cruz is a Ph.D. student and research assistant at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from FIU with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, serving as both President of the Women in Computer Science Club and Director of FIU’s Women in Tech Conference. She is currently on the executive board of INIT FIU as the Explore Program Manager, helping students jumpstart their careers in tech through hands-on workshops. Her research interests center around the intersections of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on solving autonomy tasks with limited communication costs.
[email] [LinkedIn]
TRIEU VO
Trieu Vo is a Ph.D. student and research assistant at Florida International University’s Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence. His journey in academia began with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, earned in 2018. Trieu then pursued his master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, where he maintained a strong academic standing and honed his skills in machine learning and data science. After graduating in 2023, he gained valuable experience as a Machine Learning Engineer, deepening his practical understanding of AI applications. In 2024, Trieu began his Ph.D. journey under the guidance of Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla, aiming to explore AI’s potential contributions to addressing environmental challenges. Trieu’s background includes involvement in real-world AI/ML projects, reflecting his ongoing dedication to learning and making meaningful contributions to research.
SEBASTIÁN MOLINA
Sebastián Molina is a Ph.D. student and graduate research assistant at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences. His research interests encompass the safety and interpretability of AI models, particularly in the domains of robotics and human-computer interaction. Prior to his current position, he served as a teaching assistant at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Additionally, he possesses industry experience in developing NLP agents for customer service, and data analytics for mixed marketing models.
AMANDA CHACIN-LIVINALLI
Amanda Chacin-Livinalli is a Ph.D. student and graduate research assistant at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University. Amanda earned her Associate’s degree from Miami-Dade College in 2020, and her Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Florida International University in 2023. Previous to her graduate studies, Amanda has participated in National Science Foundation and DARPA-sponsored projects on topics such as blockchain technology, algorithm design, and interdisciplinary artificial intelligence. Through the MORA lab, Amanda hopes to leverage algorithm design and robotics to tackle problems in decision-making and ethical robotic applications.
UNDERGRADUATE
COLLABORATORS
ALBERTO DOMINGUEZ
Alberto Dominguez is a retired consulting actuary who is currently living his best life as a physics, mathematics, and computer science teacher in the Advanced STEM Academy program at Everglades High School. He earned B.S. degrees in physics and mathematics and an M.S. degree in computational physics from Florida International University. He is a 2nd year participant in the NSF’s Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program at FIU. Currently, his main interests involve the incorporation of AI into the high school and college classroom as a mechanism for teaching problem solving skills. As a former actuary, he is also interested in the application of artificial intelligence to actuarial problems.
[email] [LinkedIn]
DR. TERO KAARLELA
Dr. Tero Kaarlela is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Florida International University. His fields of expertise are robotics and information technology, including wireless networks, electromagnetic compatibility, simulation, digital twins, cybersecurity, and virtual reality. Before his academic career, he worked in industrial production management and planning for 20 years.
ALUMNI
MURTADHA ALSAYEGH
Murtadha Alsayegh is a research assistant in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University, focusing on Security in Robotics. His current research interests are Secure Multiparty Computation, Privacy-Preserving, and Secure Motion Planning, performed at the MORA Lab. Before pursuing his Ph.D. program, Murtadha earned a Master’s degree in Software Engineering in 2012 at the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Computer Science at Lawrence Technological University in 2010. Murtadha also worked as a Senior Automation Engineer at Schneider Electric – Saudi Arabia, in 2013. He hardened several supervisory control and data acquisition systems against security threats and cyber-attacks in several major power plants in Saudi Aramco, Sabic, and airport facilities.
CESAR A. ROJAS
Cesar was born in Miami and graduated from Miami-Dade College, and FIU, earning his A.A. in C.I.S., and B.Sc. in I.T. respectively. He graduated from FIU Summa Cum Laude through the Honors College in the Spring of 2012 and was a member of GEP, UPE, ACM, and other student organizations. After graduation, Cesar went to work for Costa Farms, Ultimate Software, and Microsoft. He left Microsoft in 2016 to pursue a M.Sc. C.S. degree at CUNY City College. He returned to FIU to finish his M.Sc. program in the Fall of 2019 and begin his Ph.D. program under Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla, researching applications of remote sensing and Secure Multiparty Computation(MPC) in the field of Robotics.
MOUNIKA CHINTAM
Mounika Chintam is currently pursuing her Master’s in Computational Data Science at FIU and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, India. She has a keen interest in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Mounika has a work experience of 4 years with client Google, India.
SHRAVAN NIMMA
Shravan Nimma is currently a graduate student at Florida International University pursuing his master’s in Data Science. He is an aspiring data scientist who loves connecting ideas with people from different fields, teams, and industries. Most of his research interests are in the area of data modelling, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. He received a Gold Medal for Academic Excellence during his undergraduate studies in Computer Science at JNTUH, India.
MIGUEL CABRERA
Miguel Cabrera is currently a research assistant in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at Florida International University and has been pursuing his master’s degree since early 2022. His interests include the design of robotic platforms, computer vision, and automation within robotics. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics) from Florida International University. He is currently working on the development and simulation of a dolphin tag that benignly attaches to the dolphin via suction cups.