Louis Whitcomb, PhD
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Secondary Appointment, Department of Computer Science
115 Hackerman Hall
[email protected]
410-516-6724
Google Scholar Profile
Research
Contents
Control Systems: Adaptive and model-based control of linear and nonlinear systems, observers, nonlinear systems analysis, with focus on problems arising in mechanical systems, robots, and robotic vehicles.
Underwater Robotics: Dynamics, control, instrumentation, andnavigation of underwater vehicles and inhabited submersibles – with focus on deep submergence oceanographic vehicles.
Telerobotics: Dynamics, control, instrumentation, and operation of precision robotics for novel space, and industrial applications.
Education
1992 Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
1990 M.Phil. Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
1988 M.S. Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
1984 B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
Publications
See our publications page
Experience
2004-Present Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University. Secondary appointment in the Department of Computer Science.
2013-2017 Department Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University.
2007-2013 Founding Director, Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, the center for robotics research at Johns Hopkins University.
2000-2004 Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University. Joint appointment in Department of Computer Science.
1995-2000 Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University.
1995-Present Adjunct Scientist (2003-Present), Visiting Investigator (1995-2003), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering. This appointment provides faculty privileges – e.g. serving as Principal Investigator and advising Ph.D. students.
1997-Present Adjunct Researcher, Institute for Exploration, Mystic, CT.
1992-1994 Post Doctoral Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Deep Submergence Laboratory.
1993 Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Tokyo, Department of Mathematical Engineering and Information Physics. Fellowship awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, a Japanese Government agency, in cooperation with the National Science Foundation.
1986-1992 Research Associate and Ph.D. Candidate, Yale University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Robotics Laboratory. Ph.D. thesis work on stable adaptive control of robot manipulators.
1986-Present: R&D consultant in robotics, dynamics, navigation, control, and real-time control systems.
1984-1986: Research and Development Engineer, GMFanuc Robotics Corporation (now part of Fanuc Robotics America), Auburn Hills MI, the largest robotics vendor in North America.
1981-1984: United States Coast Guard Licensed Captain. Captain of commercial passenger-carrying sailing vessels. USCG license #171121 (inactive).
Awards
2012 Ph.D. Student Giancarlo1 Troni was awarded the Best Student Poster Award for his poster entitled Experimental evaluation of a MEMS inertial measurements unit for Doppler navigation of underwater vehicles on October 18, 2012 at the 2012 IEEE/MTS Oceans Conference.
2011 William H. Huggins Excellence in Teaching Award. One of these awards if given in recognition of outstanding teaching in the JHU Whiting School of Engineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and a demonstrated dedication to students.
2010 Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for “contributions to the theory and application of robotics for intervention in extreme environments.”
2009 Best Paper Award by IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering for Krieger, Whitcomb, et. al., Design of A Novel MRI Compatible Manipulator for Image Guided Prostate Interventions, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. 52(2):306-313, February 2005. One of these awards is given annually to the Transactions paper that has accrued the most citations in the first five years after publication
2009 Louis M. Sardella Faculty Scholar: Inaugural appointment, awarded in October 2009 by the JHU G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering for the period 2009-2012.
2004 Johns Hopkins University Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award, awarded in May 2004 by the JHU G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering. One of these awards is made each year by JHU’s School of Engineering.
2003 IMarEST Prize for Best Paper by an Author Under 30 awarded to Whitcomb’s Ph.D. student James C. Kinsey for the paper entitled Preliminary Field Experience with the DVLNAV Integrated Navigation System for Manned and Unmanned Submersibles at the 2003 IFAC Workshop on Guidance and Control of Underwater Vehicles, Newport, South Wales, April 2003.
2002 Johns Hopkins University George E. Owen Teaching Award, awarded in May 2002 by the Johns Hopkins University Class of 2002. One of two awarded each year by the JHU undergraduate Senior Class.
2002 Appointed Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, January 12, 2002.
2001 Johns Hopkins University Student Council Award for Excellence in Teaching, May 2001 – one of two awarded each year by the JHU Undergraduate Student Council.
2000 Best Student Paper Award awarded to Whitcomb’s Ph.D. student David Smallwood for the paper entitled A New Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle for Dynamics and Control Research by the 11th International Symposium on Unmanned Untethered Submersible Technology, August 2000.
2000 Ph.D. student Jaydeep Roy selected as finalist for the Best Student Paper Award for the paper entitled Structural Design and Analysis of a New Semi-Direct Drive Robot Arm: Theory and Experiment by the 2000 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, April 2000,
1997 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award.
1996 National Science Foundation Faculty CAREER Award.
1993 JSPS – NSF post-doctoral fellowship. A competitive grant to conduct research at the University of Tokyo.
1992 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution post doctoral scholarship. A competitive post-doctoral scholarship.
1984 Master’s Cup Award, Timothy Dwight College, Yale University.