Allison Gaines

I recently graduated with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University. My research with the Murphey Lab within the Center for Robotics and Biosystems focused on active learning with robots. I'm currently staying on as a postdoc as I look for my next opportunity.

Bio

I have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University where I studied how machine learning can be used to improve robot perception and control. At Northwestern, I worked with Professor Todd Murphey. Prior to starting my doctoral studies I was an Associate Technical Staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory where I worked in the systems engineering and rapid prototyping groups. I received a B.S. in Applied Science–Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I worked with Professor Catarina Gallippi on using signal separation techniques to delineate the mechanical properites of tissue from ultrasound waves.

Experience

Postdoc Researcher Northwestern University 2024-Present: Building real-time sensor-agnostic perception models for robot learning.
PhD Student Northwestern University 2019-2024: Developed algorithms and hardware benchmarks for active learning, reinforcement learning, and perception models in the context of robotics.
Associate Technical Staff MIT Lincoln Laboratory 2017-2019: Systems Engineering Group: Obtained internal funding to mature a systems analysis tool for SmallSat design. Established project milestones, conducted early-stage trade studies, and developed system validation framework.
Rapid Prototyping Group: Mechanical lead for a DoD payload. Conducted a system design study. Developed prototypes, drawings, test campaigns, and sell-off material. Managed technicians, designers, and contractors. Collaborated with other system leads to define interfaces, risks, and needs.

Teaching Assistant Northwestern University 2022: Teaching assistant (Fall) & grader (Spring) for Machine Dynamics course. Planned and facilitated office hours (3x/week), graded bi-weekly homework assignments, and taught several lectures throughout the quarter.
Assistant Technical Staff MIT Lincoln Laboratory 2015-2017: Systems Engineering Group: Screened CCDs, designed cabling, developed assembly procedures, completed V&V tasks, and led payload cable installation at satellite integration for the camera payload for NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Teaching Assistant UNC Chapel Hill Spring 2015: Teaching assistant for Signals & Systems course. Planned and facilitated weekly lab sessions and bi-weekly office hours to complement coursework. Graded homework assignments and tests.
Research Assistant UNC Chapel Hill 2013-2015: Worked with Professor Catarina Gallippi. Developed simulation of shear wave propagation in tissue. Applied signal separation techniques to simulate ultrasound return data to delineate structure & composition of tissues.
Research Assistant ASSIST Center at North Carolina State University Summer & Fall 2014: Worked with Professor Alper Bozkurt. Helped design a wearable, low powered pulse oximetry device to monitor environmental and personal health parameters. Improved PCB hardware and data acquisition software to integrate new nanotechnology enabled sensors.
Business Analyst Intern Wix.com Summer 2013: Developed and disseminated Key Performance Indicators to management, product, and marketing teams Conducted business analysis and strategy development tasks. Advanced Wix’s SEC filing and pre-IPO activities.

Publications

NoodleBot: A Hardware Swimmer Benchmark for Reinforcement Learning A. Pinosky, T.A. Berrueta, O. Li, T.D. Murphey In Preparation. 2025. GitHub Video
Single-Shot Embodied Robot Learning From Scratch A. Pinosky PhD Thesis, Northwestern University. 2024.
Embodied Active Learning of Generative Sensor-Object Models A. Pinosky, T.D. Murphey International Symposium of Robotics Research (ISRR). 2024. Bibtex Video
Maximum diffusion Reinforcement Learning T.A. Berrueta, A. Pinosky, T.D. Murphey Nature Machine Intelligence. 2024. Bibtex GitHub Video
Safe Coverage for Heterogeneous Systems With Limited Connectivity A.T. Taylor, T.A. Berrueta, A. Pinosky, T.D. Murphey IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2024. Bibtex Video
Hybrid Control for Combining Model-based and Model-free Reinforcement Learning A. Pinosky, I. Abraham, A. Broad, B. Argall, T.D. Murphey The International Journal of Robotics Research. 2022. Bibtex GitHub Video

Scale-invariant specifications for human-swarm systems J. Meyer, A. Prabhakar, A. Pinosky, I. Abraham, A.T. Taylor, M. Schlafly, K. Popovic, G. Diniz, B. Teich, B. Simidchieva, S. Clark, T.D. Murphey IEEE Transactions on Field Robotics. 2024. Bibtex Video
Scale-Invariant Fast Functional Registration M. Sun, A. Pinosky, I. Abraham, T.D. Murphey The International Symposium of Robotics Research. 2022. Bibtex GitHub Video
A Game Benchmark for Real-Time Human-Swarm Control J. Meyer, A. Pinosky, T. Trzpit, E. Colgate, T.D. Murphey IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE). 2022. Bibtex GitHub Video
Hybrid control for Learning Motor Skills I. Abraham, A. Broad, A. Pinosky, B. Argall, T.D. Murphey Workshop on Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR). 2021. Bibtex GitHub Video
TESS Vibration Testing: A. Boundary Condition Case Study A. Karlicek, A. Pinosky SEM International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC). 2018.
Finite Element Modeling, Computer Simulations, and Experiments of Shear Wave Propagation for Tissue Mechanical Property Assessment A. Pinosky Undergraduate Honors Thesis, UNC Chapel Hill. 2015. Poster
Low Powered Pulse Oximetry Device Using Novel Proximity Detector Approach with Energy Harvesting A. Pinosky, E. Beppler, J. Dieffenderfer, A. Bozkurt UNC/NCSU Joint BME Research Retreat, NCSU Undergraduate Research Symposium, and Lucas Scholars Seminar. 2014. Poster

Education

PhD in Mechanical Engineering Northwestern University 2019-2024: My research was at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and active learning, with a particular focus on learning from scratch in novel environments.
B.S. in Applied Science–Biomedical Engineering University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2011-2015: I graduated with distinction and highest honors with a major Applied Science with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Math.

Extracurricular Interests

In my free time, I enjoy reading, cooking, hiking, spending time with friends, and volunteering. I've particularly enjoyed volunteering with Letters to a Pre-Scientist, Friend 2 Friend, and Carolina For the Kids (formerly UNC Dance Marathon). At Northwestern, I also enjoyed sharing my research with the broader community as a yearly exhibitor at the Robot Block Party. I was also a member of GradSWE and the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Society (MEGSS).