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About Me

  • I’m a Double Master’s student at CU Boulder, studying Mechanical Engineering (Robotics) and Engineering Management. I also work as a Robotics Engineer at Medtronic, where I help develop HUGO.

  • I got my start in Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Beirut, where I focused on robotics and minored in Biomedical Engineering (tissue engineering and biocompatibility). On the software side, I’ve been into coding since I was a kid, so MechE + Software = Robotics Engineer just made perfect sense :)

  • These days, I’m into everything from robot manipulation to motion planning, with a special interest in surgical robotics, because I think that's a field that can make a real impact to people's lives.

    Outside of work, I hold a 2nd-degree black belt in Taekwondo (Kukkiwon certified) and am currently training in Muay Thai. I also ski (ESF Level 4), and mess around on the piano when I get the chance.

    I'm always curious to learn more about anything, so if you want to talk robots, history, music, martial arts, skiing, or even the weather, feel free to reach out at hadi [lastname] @ outlook dot com (gotta dodge the web crawlers!) or on LinkedIn.

Awards

  • CU Boulder - Mechanical Engineering Entrepreneurial Scholarship Colorado, USA
  • CU Boulder - Student Employee of the Year Nominee Colorado, USA
  • CU Boulder - 1st place in the Integrated Engineering Design Expo Colorado, USA
  • American University of Beirut - Dean's Honor List Beirut, Lebanon
  • American University of Beirut - MSFEA (Faculty of Engineering) Best Final Year Project Beirut, Lebanon

Skills

  • Programming Languages: Python, C++, MATLAB, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Simulink
  • Robotics & Automation: ROS2, RVIZ, NAV2, Kalman Filter, Sensor Fusion, Motion Planning, System Integration
  • CAD & Prototyping: SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, AutoCAD, Machining (CNC, Laser Cutting, Drilling, Milling…), 3D printing
  • ML, AI & Computer Vision: OpenCV, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, Vision Transformers, SLAM
  • Embedded Systems: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson Nano, Teensy
  • Development Tools: Linux, Git, Flask, Django
  • Research: Self-Learning, Problem-Solving, Time Management, Experimental Design, Independence, Attention to Detail
  • Languages: English, French, Arabic (fluent); Spanish (full professional); German (elementary)

Projects

Experience

Work Experience

Robotics Engineer
Colorado, USA
Medtronic
Jan 2025 to Present
  • Led the design and build of an electromagnetic field-mapping device based on CoreXY kinematics. The main challenge was to collect real-time measurements of the electromagnetic field while minimizing its own magnetic signature so measurements remained undistorted. Device reduced mapping time from 2 hours to 30 mins with millimeter level accuracy.
  • Developed electromagnetic localization and compensation algorithms for catheter tracking with sub-millimeter precision under field distortion; contributed to the sensing model, compensation pipeline, and validation protocol. Named inventor on a patent filing in minimally invasive robotic navigation.
  • Built an ultrasound-guided dynamic navigation platform for endoluminal procedures, integrating real-time point-cloud fusion with Kalman-based state estimation to adapt trajectories on an articulating robotic arm. Tested on a spine and cardiac phantom.
  • Used a UR3 robotic arm with a spine phantom to explore optimal probe–surface coupling, combining depth sensing and force feedback to maximize consistent stable contact during ultrasound scanning.
  • Implemented realtime point-cloud fusion algorithms (registration, filtering, and outlier rejection) that helps maintain geometric consistency at real-time rates.
  • Built a multimodal RAG agent backed by Milvus, including a query-classification router, retrieval module, MonoT5-based re-ranking, chunk repacking, and recap/response summarization.
  • Contributed to Medtronic’s Hugo™ soft-tissue robot program, collaborating across the robotics and controls teams.
ME MS Ambassador
Colorado, USA
University of Colorado Boulder
Sep 2024 to Present
  • Led outreach and information sessions for prospective Mechanical Engineering MS students, representing the graduate program to national and international audiences.
  • Analyzed admissions and engagement data using Tableau to identify outreach trends and improve communication targeting.
  • Collaborated with faculty and student services to organize open houses, webinars, and mentoring sessions connecting current and incoming students.
  • Supported digital outreach by designing dashboards and visual reports summarizing applicant demographics and event participation metrics.
Mechanical Engineering Intern
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Lead Consult
Apr 2022 to Aug 2022
  • Designed and modeled mechanical systems using AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS, including piping networks, sewer drain layouts, and pressure fittings for utility projects.
  • Generated detailed 2D and 3D schematics for HVAC and plumbing systems, ensuring alignment with project tolerances and field constraints.
  • Reviewed mechanical drawings for compliance with ASME and ISO standards and coordinated revisions with site teams.

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant
Colorado, USA
University of Colorado Boulder
Sep 2024 to Present
  • Supported Mechatronics and Robotics I & II courses.
  • Facilitated labs, office hours, and helped with project development and grading.
Class Instructor
Colorado, USA
University of Colorado Boulder
Jan 2025 to May 2025
  • Held weekly classes every Friday as part of the senior-level undergraduate course *Mechatronics and Robotics II*. I delivered lectures on Deep Learning, Task and Motion Planning (TAMP), and Inverse/Forward Kinematics to provide students with the foundational knowledge needed to complete their projects.
  • Supported student teams in designing and building robotic arms from scratch, capable of playing games like Chess, Tic Tac Toe among other tasks. Provided guidance throughout all development stages—including mechanical design, software development, hardware implementation, and systems integration.

Research

Graduate Research Assistant
Colorado, USA
Correll Robotic Manipulation Lab
May 2024 to Present
  • Developed a hybrid task-planning and vision stack combining LLM-based task decomposition with Vision Transformers for real-time control and object detection on a UR5 arm fitted with a custom 3D-printed gripper.
  • Designed an entropy-ranked object memory that grounds open-world perception in symbolic reasoning; maintained a Bayesian belief over scene objects and triggered replanning as the environment changed.
  • Integrated probabilistic perception with symbolic planning (PDDLStream), enabling responsive task planning under uncertainty and consistent grounding of noisy detections.
  • Achieved an order-of-magnitude reduction in makespan versus baseline symbolic planners in simulation, while maintaining near-100% task success under class-confusion rates up to 45%.
  • Implemented closed-loop autonomy with continuous belief updates, uncertainty-aware action selection, and automatic recovery behaviors.
  • Gained practical expertise across probabilistic modeling, symbolic planning, motion planning, and real-time robotic control on industrial manipulators.
Final Year Project
Beirut, Lebanon
American University of Beirut
Jul 2021 to Jun 2023
  • Built an autonomous agricultural octocopter that performed A* path planning and had integrated GPS-IMU sensor fusion for 3D navigation, achieving under 0.5m waypoint tracking error on a $250 budget.
Robotics Undergraduate Research Assistant
Beirut, Lebanon
American University of Beirut
Jul 2021 to Jun 2023
  • Worked with a team developing a steel-inspection robot from concept to prototype
  • Assisted with parts manufactiuring and prototyping (SOLIDWORKS Design, 3D printing, and machining).
  • Implemented a CNN-based rust detection algorithm with real-time segmentation using a Jetson Nano, which improved detection accuracy by 60% over previously used edge-detection and color-thresholding techniques, achieving an F1 score of 0.91.