Lab members

Principal Investigator

Dr. Nicolas Herzig

Currently Associate Professor in Industrial Automation, Mechatronics and Control Engineering in the School of Engineering and Informatics, I am within the Department of Engineering and Design, and I am a member of the Centre for Robotics and Sensing Technologies (CROSS-Tech). I received my PhD degree in Control Engineering from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France in 2016. I also hold an M.Eng. degree in Mechanical Engineering and an M.Sc. in Mechatronics from Polytech Annecy Chambéry, Annecy, France. From 2016 to 2020, I have been working on two EPSRC-funded projects for medical robotics at The University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, and King's College London. Before my PhD degree, I worked for 18 months for 2 French start-ups where I used to design Mechatronic solutions for industrial applications. My research interests are focused on the development of new technologies for Robotic Systems. I am particularly interested in Mechatronics Design and Control Engineering for compliant and soft robots. I aim to address the scientific challenges that limit Human-Robot or Robot-Environment interactions. My research is applied in various several fields such as industrial robotics, biomedical, and nuclear decommissioning. 

PhD Students

Benedict Fletcher

Benedict Fletcher has received his BEng degree in robotics from The University of Plymouth, England in 2021. Since, January 2022, Benedict started his PhD program at Sussex University under the supervision of Dr Nicolas Herzig. His current project is about developing a passively compliant foot for quadrupeds to assist in their navigation of wetland environments, such as rice paddies. 

Nashil Sowaruth

Nashil Sowaruth graduated with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Mauritius in 2017. He then pursued his Master's degree in Robotics & Automation at the University of Salford, Manchester in 2020. In between his studies, he gathered working experience in automation settings in textile industries as well as in engineering consultancy firms. He has also got a publication in the 2022 International Conference on Renewable and Environment Engineering (REEE 2022) paper. Nashil started his PhD studies by joining the CSR lab at the University of Sussex in September 2023. His current project is about the design and implementation of soft exosuits for lower-limb rehabilitation.

Naijia Ye

Naijia Ye graduated from Guizhou Normal University in 2019 with a degree in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. She then completed her MSc in Robotics & Automation Systems from the University of Sussex in 2024. Naijia joins the University of Sussex for PhD study in 2024. Her current project is on the measurement and analysis of the expansion height of hyperelastic balloon membranes.

Project Students

2023-2024

Marah Rustom  MSc Engineering Business Management

Eshwar Murugaiyan  MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Kairui Chen BEng Robotics and Electrical Engineering 

Ruohang Gao BEng Kairui Chen

2022-2023

Tuleen Ali BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Robotics 

Priyanka Rajashekara MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Dogan Acar MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems 

Avaniesh Sriijith MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems 

Chih-Yu (Josh) Wang MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Xiangyu Guo MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Wei Chen MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems

2021-2022

Agne Novikaite BEng in Mechanical Engineering with Robotics

Chenyu Song MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems 

Han Yang MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems 

Jiawei Sun MSc in 5G Mobile Communications and Intelligent Embedded Systems

Jin Yang MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems 

Josh Tayao MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Kateryna Prychyna BEng in Mechanical Engineering with Robotics 

Omar Al Souri BEng in Mechanical Engineering 

Shaopeng Hou MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems 

Stathis Kapnidis BEng in Mechanical Engineering with Robotics

Zaid Albasha BEng in Mechanical Engineering 

2020-2021

Gabby Blewitt: MSc in Robotics and Autonomous Systems