Colette Abah

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University and work as a graduate research assistant at the Advanced Robotics and Mechanism Applications (ARMA) research laboratory, advised by Dr. Nabil Simaan. My research focuses on continuum robots, sensing modalities, and situational awareness aids for neuro-endovascular surgery and human-robot interaction. My skillset includes system design, robot modelling and control, mechatronics, programming, and system integration.

I received the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE) fellowship in 2018. This fellowship resulted in a close collaboration with the department of Neurological Surgery at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where I investigate robotic and sensing augmentations to improve neuro-endovascular interventions.

Prior to graduate school, I worked as research fellow at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University (Biodesign Laboratory). My research focused on soft, biologically inspired robotic devices for cardiac and ventricular assistance.

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2015.