Group Director

Christian Cousin, Ph.D. 
Dr. Christian Cousin received the B.S. degree (2015) in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida. After starting graduate school at the University of Florida, he joined the Nonlinear Controls and Robotics Laboratory and was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Dr. Cousin subsequently received the M.S. degree (2017) in Mechanical Engineering with minors in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, as well as the Ph.D. degree (2019) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida. In 2019, he was a recipient of the IEEE Control Systems Technology Award. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama and directs the Control of Human and Robotic Systems (CHARS) Laboratory. 

Ph.D. Students

Glen Merritt
Glen Merritt received his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Alabama in 2020, and his B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and German in 2019. He joined the Human Oriented Methods and Equipment (HOME) lab as a M.S. student in 2019, and currently works in the The Control of Human and Robotic Systems (CHARS) Laboratory as a Ph.D. Student.
Saiedeh Akbari
Saiedeh Akbari is a Ph.D. student in the Control of Human And Robotic Systems (CHARS) Laboratory at the University of Alabama. Saiedeh completed her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at K.N. Toosi University of Technology with a focus on Mechatronics and control of dynamic systems. Presently, Saiedeh’s research mainly focuses on the simulation of assistive rehabilitation and medical devices. ​

M.S. Students

Jace Aldrich
Jace Aldrich is a class of 2022 Mechanical Engineering student, a member of the Randall Research Scholars Program, and a part of the Accelerated Master’s Program in Mechanical Engineering. He has a background in robotics, working on many robotics projects and teams before joining the Control of Human and Robotic Systems Laboratory. Apart from his research, he is the lead lab manager for the Randall Research Scholars Program, operating and leading a computer and technology lab with a research driven focus. He also has industry experience, interning with Ford as a product owner to design a charge management system for fleet electric vehicles. He is currently continuing his research in the lab while exploring further postgraduate education options.

B.S. Students 

Lauren Davis
Lauren Davis is currently a junior pursuing her B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Social Innovation and Leadership at The University of Alabama. She is also in the STEM Path to the MBA program which puts her on track to graduate with both her undergraduate degree and MBA by 2024. Beyond her work in CHARS, she is a University Fellow and Honors College Ambassador, Ambassador for the College of Engineering, VP of Tide Talks, and VP of the STEM&CREATE Diversity Council. Lauren has internship experience working as an undergraduate researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology as part of the SURE REU, where she assisted in fine-tuning an online platform designed to teach engineering students freehand sketching and gained experience in conducting experiments, data collection, and data analysis. In the future, she hopes to explore both academia and industry to determine her career path after graduation.
Braeden Given
Braeden Given is a senior Mechanical Engineering student with minors in Manufacturing and Mathematical Statistics at the University of Alabama. He is also pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the Manderson Graduate School of Business, where he will graduate in the spring of 2023. In addition to being a member of the CHARS Laboratory, Braeden is a member of the Theta Tau professional engineering fraternity and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society. He has internship experience working for a plastics manufacturer in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, where he handled requests for quotes for consumer parts and learned design for manufacturing processes. He has also interned at Eastman Chemical where he worked in a group that managed multi-million dollar projects,  learned the process for purchasing capital equipment, and advanced his knowledge of fluid systems.
Kailey Henson
Kailey Henson is currently a senior pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in mathematics at The University of Alabama. She has also been accepted to the Accelerated Master's Program and the STEM Path to the MBA Program at UA, which has put her on track to graduate with her Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering along with a Master of Business Administration by the spring of 2023. Aside from her contributions to the Control of Human and Robotics Systems Laboratory, she is an Ambassador of the College of Engineering and serves as a Peer Mentor for the Mentor Undergraduate Peer Program at UA. Kailey has internship experience working for a mechanical contracting firm where she was able to attain knowledge concerning the processes of mechanical systems by formulating HVAC estimates for large scale construction projects.
Gideon Lombardo
Gideon Lombardo is a current sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering at The University of Alabama. He will graduate with his B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2024 and his Master of Business Administration in 2025 through the STEM/CREATE Path to the MBA. In addition to his research in The Control of Human and Robotic Systems Laboratory, Gideon is a member of the Randall Research Scholars Program and is also an Honors College Ambassador. As he continues his studies, Gideon will be evaluating academic and professional opportunities for his future.
Chase Fortin
Chase Fortin is a senior B.S. Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Mathematics, is in the Accelerated Master’s Program for an M.S. Mechanical Engineering, and is set to graduate in the Summer of 2022 and Spring of 2023 respectively. Chase is an active part of the UA community participating on the EcoCAR and Astrobotics teams, serving as an Engineering Career Development Center Ambassador and Residential Advisor, completed 3 Co-op semesters with Alabama Power Company, and is currently part of ASME and the CHARS lab.  Chase is actively looking for jobs post-graduation and has an interest in linear controls and robotics.
Collin Gann
Collin Gann is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, where he will graduate in the spring of 2022. In addition to joining The Control of Human and Robotic Systems Laboratory, he is a member of Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Collin has two years of internship experience for a local company, where he modeled and drew fixtures for manufacturing purposes, helped set up robotic welders and welding stations, and worked with laser etchers to correctly mark tooling identification numbers. In the future, he hopes to explore postgraduate education while contributing to the manufacturing industry. 
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Matthew Pompa
Matthew Pompa is currently a freshman Electrical Engineering student at The University of Alabama with an interest in robotics. He is a member of the Honors College and hopes to join the Accelerated Master's Program, possibly taking on a second major in Mathematics. While he continues to work at the CHARS laboratory, he will explore educational interests and search for internships.
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Carl "Louis" LeBoeuf
Carl "Louis" LeBoeuf is a senior B.S. Mechanical Engineering student in the Accelerated Master’s Program for an M.S. Mechanical Engineering, and is set to graduate in the Fall of 2022 and Spring of 2023 respectively. Louis is the head of the Ballroom and Latin Dance Competition team at UA, representing UA nationally, and works in the CHARS lab on a weekly basis.  Louis is looking to get a Ph.D. in Controls, Robotics, and Machine Learning.
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