2026 Steinbach Visiting Scholars
Dr. Josh Mangelson
Brigham Young University
Electrical and Computer Engineering
June 17-18
Dr. Joshua Mangelson is an Assistant Professor at Brigham Young University. He received PhD and Masters degrees in Robotics from the University of Michigan. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University before joining the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at BYU in 2020. Dr. Mangelson is an expert in marine and field robotic perception, localization, and autonomy. At BYU, he runs the Field Robotic Systems Lab focused on the development and deployment of robotic perception and autonomy in unstructured outdoor environments with a major focus on the marine domain (both at and below the surface). He currently serves as an Associate Editor for IJRR , T-FR, and RA-L and as an Area Chair for RSS. His research has been recognized with various awards including multiple best paper/poster awards as well as the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (in 2024).
Scheduled Talks
June 17th, 12 pm – 1 pm, Department-wide Seminar in Smith Conference Room
Title: Robust UUV/USV Single/Multi-Agent Localization and Semantic Mapping for Marine Autonomy
Abstract: My research group at BYU is directly focused on developing marine perception and autonomy solutions that enable robust deployment of below- and at-the-surface marine robotic systems to address real-world problems. In this talk, I will present several recent and on-going projects focused on UUV and USV localization including UUV/USV odometry, robust cooperative underwater localization under acoustic communication constraints, and cross-modality localization between sonar sensing modalities. I will then cover some of our recent work towards enabling open-set outdoor 3D metric-semantic mapping for marine systems operating in complex unstructured coastal zones. I will close with an overview of several tools we hope will be of use to the broader marine robotics community including the marine robotics simulator HoloOcean and a low-cost UUV design.
June 18th, 2 pm – 3 pm, Institution-wide Seminar in Redfield Auditorium
Title: Progress in Marine Robotic Perception, Localization, and Mapping for Ecological Monitoring, Infrastructure Inspection, and Defense
Abstract: Research in marine robotics is uniquely positioned to help us address fundamental challenges to real-world problems in our world. Examples include (1) coral reef & marine ecosystem monitoring, (2) energy and civil infrastructure inspection and maintenance, and (3) shipping/national defense challenges. My students and I at BYU are working on developing and deploying marine robotic perception, localization, and mapping solutions in each of these domains. In this talk, I will provide an overview of each of our projects within these areas and provide a high-level discussion of on-going work in marine robotic perception, localization, and perception. I will also briefly cover simulation and hardware tools we have developed with the hope of enabling broader participation in marine robotics research.
Dr. Anya Waite
Dalhousie University
Oceanography
June 29-30
Dr. Anya Waite is Professor of Oceanography at Dalhousie University in Canada. She was CEO and Scientific Director of the Ocean Frontier Institute 2018-2026. She was a post-doctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the mid-1990s and an Engineering Professor in Australia (1997-2014) before becoming Section Head of Biological Oceanography at the Alfred Wegener Institute (2014-2018). Dr. Waite served as co-chair of the Global Ocean Observing System and Canada’s representative on the World Meteorological Organization’s Greenhouse Gas Study Group. She was recently awarded the 2024 Japanese Oceanographic Society’s Yoshida Award for her oceanographic research on biological physical coupling, the King Charles III Coronation Medal for outstanding service to Canada, and was appointed member of the French Ordre des Palmes Academiques for her international service supporting research connection between Canada and France. She is a 2026 Steinbach Scholar for the MIT/WHOI Joint Program.
Scheduled Talks
- TBA