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Cropped version of photo of lab members in front of Notre Dame's ice chapel in Spring 2026

Spring 2026 IRIS Lab Members (click here for previous group photos)

Principal Investigator

Postdoctoral Researchers

  • Ciera McFarland

    Postdoctoral Researcher, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Graduate Students

  • Allison Fick

    Ph.D. Student, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

  • Zhongqi Miao

    Ph.D. Student, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

  • Ella Weaverling

    Ph.D. Student, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Undergraduate Students

Alumni

Doctoral Students

Katalin Schäffer (IRIS Lab Fall 2021-Summer 2026), Ph.D. Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2026 (Next: Postdoctoral Researcher at Czech Technical University)

Ciera McFarland (IRIS Lab Fall 2021-Fall 2026), Ph.D. Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2026 (Next: Postdoctoral Research at University of Notre Dame)

Masters Students

Alexis Laudenslager (IRIS Lab Fall 2024-Spring 2025), M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2025, thesis: " (Next: System Engineer at BAE Systems)

Undergraduate Students

Martina Lund (IRIS Lab Spring 2025 and Spring 2026), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2027

Lydia Chau (IRIS Lab Summer 2024 and Spring 2026), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2026

Maria Cowden (IRIS Lab Spring 2026), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2026 (next: Associate Quality Engineer at Medline)

Dean DiGuglielmo (IRIS Lab Fall 2024-Spring 2025), B.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2027

Gabriella Shirtcliff (IRIS Lab Fall 2024-Spring 2025), B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2026

Pailyn Groene (IRIS Lab Fall 2024-Spring 2025), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2025 (next: MSc in Biomedical Engineering student at Trinity College Dublin as a Naughton Fellow)

Sarah Taher (IRIS Lab Fall 2024-Spring 2025), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2025 (next: Junior Designer, Sustainable Engineering, Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill)

Bona Park (IRIS Lab Spring 2022-Spring 2025), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2025

Dylan Finnegan (IRIS Lab Fall 2025), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2024

Kevin Wakakuwa (IRIS Lab Summer and Fall 2024), B.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2026 (next: Engineering Management Program Associate at AMETEK AMERON))

Jack Rowe (IRIS Lab Spring 2024), B.S. Mechanical Engineering and Studio Art, and M.B.A., University of Notre Dame, Class of 2026 (next: Associate at L3 Capital)

William Shepherd (IRIS Lab Spring 2024), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2024 (next: Production Engineer at Starplus Energy)

Eddie Pohl (IRIS Lab Summer 2023-Spring 2024), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2024 (next: Engineer at General Motors)

Kabir Madan (IRIS Lab Summer 2022, Spring-Summer 2023, and Spring 2024), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2025 (next: Mechanical Design Engineer at Apple)

Michael Mitchell (IRIS Lab Fall 2021-Spring 2024), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2024 (next: M.S. Student in Applied Mathematics at Imperial College London)

Aryanna Perez (IRIS Lab Fall 2023), B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2025 (next: NDE engineer at SpaceX)

Tim DeMaro (IRIS Lab Fall 2022-Spring 2023), B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2023 (next: M.S. Student in Robotics Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

Molly Doerfler (IRIS Lab Spring 2022-Spring 2023), B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2023 (next: M.S. Student in Environmental Technology at University College Dublin)

Nelson Badillo (IRIS Lab Fall 2021-Spring 2023), B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2023 (next: Ph.D. Student in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University)

Amanda Kaczorowski (IRIS Lab Fall 2021-Spring 2023), B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Class of 2023 (next: Mechanical/Controls Engineer at Southlake Automation)

Visiting Undergraduate Students

Hanyue Zhu (IRIS Lab Summer 2026), B.S., Automation Engineering, Southeast University, Class of 2027

Tianyi Yu (IRIS Lab Summer 2026), B.S., Robotics Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Class of 2027

Fangzhong Jin (IRIS Lab Summer 2026), B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Virginia, Class of 2027

Sebastian Lorca Godoy (IRIS Lab Spring 2026), B.S., Electrical Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile, Class of 2026

Alan Cristian Roque Rivera (IRIS Lab Summer 2025), B.S., Robotics Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Santa Rosa Jáuregui, Mexico, Class of 2027

Saúl Armando Ganado García (IRIS Lab Summer 2025), B.S., Robotics Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Santa Rosa Jáuregui, Mexico, Class of 2026

Raymundo Hernández Rendón (IRIS Lab Summer 2025), B.S., Aeronautical Mechanical Design, Universidad Aeronáutica en Querétaro, Mexico, Class of 2026 (next: PDE JR Engineer at EssigQ)

Yumeng Cai (IRIS Lab Summer 2024), B.Eng., Robotics Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China, Class of 2025 (next: M.S. Student in Robotics at Georgia Institute of Technology)

Ultan Fallon (IRIS Lab Summer 2023), B.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland, Class of 2025 (next: M.S. Student in Bioengineering at Stanford University)