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Curriculum Vitae - Education, Research, Work Experience, and Projects
General Information
| Full Name | Jatin Sikka |
| Jsikka@utexas.edu | |
| Phone | (919) 345-6263 |
| Website | JatinSikka.me |
| linkedin.com/in/jatinsikka |
Education
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Present Master of Science, Ph.D. track in Mechanical Engineering
University of Texas, Austin, TX - Focus in Robotics
- {"Relevant Coursework"=>"Intro to Machine Learning, Intro to Deep Learning, Human Centric Robotics (Controls + RL)"}
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December 2024 Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC - Minor in Computer Programming
- {"GPA"=>"3.81/4.00"}
- {"Relevant Coursework"=>"Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics, Controls, Fluids, Thermodynamics, Mechatronics Design, MATLAB, Java, Python, C, Data Structures & Algorithms, Operating Systems, Discrete Math"}
Technical Skills
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Programming
- Python, Java, C, MATLAB, Linux, Git, PyTorch, Docker, SQL, Tableau, W&B
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Robotics
- MuJoCo, Isaac Lab, PyBullet, ROS, OpenAI Gym, PPO/TRPO, Control Theory
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Mechanical
- SolidWorks, CATIA, AutoCAD, 3D printing, Laser/Water cutter, CAE, GD&T, DFM, PLC
Leadership Experience
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Aug 2025 - Present Senior Design Teaching Assistant
UT Austin - Mentoring 6 teams including a robotic hand, a NASA Artemis rover, and an ML-based industrial defect detection system, from concept to prototyping, guiding project planning, and iterative design
- Advised teams on risk management, documentation standards, subsystem integration, and effective communication across mechanical, electrical, and software groups
Research Experience
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Sep 2025 - Present Long-horizon loco-manipulation for Humanoids
Human Centered Robotics Lab, UT Austin - {"Advisor"=>"Dr. Luis Sentis"}
- Building a hybrid loco-manipulation control framework by integrating locomotion controller with RL based PPO-trained manipulation policies, enabling long-horizon factory tasks in MuJoCo with reward design
- Training lightweight LLMs for SOP-driven high-level retrieval and planning to generate multi-step task plans and sequence MuJoCo skills with pre/post-condition checks
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Aug 2023 - October 2024 + Summer 2025 Controls and AI Framework for robotics
Intelligent Controls Lab, NC State University - {"Advisor"=>"Dr. Donggun Lee"}
- Extended Reinforcement Learning based algorithm TRPO for safe navigation policy updates, creating a simulation environment using pybullet and OpenAI Gym to support adaptable and secure vehicle navigation
- Researched and implemented Hopf Lax formula to solve open loop optimal control problems using Python, demonstrating a significant advantage over traditional direct optimization method in computation speed
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Aug 2023 - Dec 2023 Development & testing of lung phantoms to mimic pulmonary fibrosis & edema
Ultrasonics Characterization Lab, NC State University - {"Advisor"=>"Dr. Marie Muller"}
- Utilized SolidWorks to design a proof of concept for an interlocking hydrogel lung phantom
- Conducted MATLAB analysis and experiments on hydrogel-based lung phantoms, measuring sound speed and attenuation to simulate human lung tissue properties for ultrasound diagnostics
Work Experience
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May 2023 – Aug 2023 Quality Data Engineering Intern
Body In White (BIW) MY & Cybertruck, Tesla Motors, Austin, TX - Engineered a BIW data-visibility pipeline by integrating Python scripts with live SQL queries, automating data extraction, transformation, and real-time updates for quality metrics
- Developed 10 interactive Tableau dashboards (castings, welds, adhesives, audits) with heatmaps, Pareto charts, and trend analytics to enable real-time defect monitoring and root-cause analysis
- Reduced analysis time by 93% through automated metrology data analysis (74-point features, 394 raw measurements), generating trends and statistical insights with MATLAB to support engineering decisions
- Generated Sixpack reports in Minitab to analyze new hood fixture performance, enabling in-depth process evaluation and optimization
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Jan 2022 – May 2022 Mechanical Engineering Intern
Plastics MS & X, Tesla Motors, Fremont, CA - Designed stripper plates for the rocker punch machine using SolidWorks and 3D-printed a prototype, mitigating 95% of quality issues during punch retraction
- Enhanced space utilization by 35% through the design and integration of subassembly, rocker room, tool & die, and machine shop components into the master layout using AutoCAD
- Designed and 3D printed M3 Frunk Clip covers, achieving a 97% reduction in scratching and warping during transportation to General Assembly
- Engineered a spring-loaded installation tool for installing PA sensors for MS/MX, reducing sensor NSP
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Aug 2021 – Dec 2021 Program Management + Mechanical Design Engineering Rotational Intern
Hengstler Dynapar, Fortive, Gurnee, IL; Elizabethtown, NC - Led in a plant acquisition project by overseeing transition of two assembly cells having an estimated revenue of $500k per month
- Trained two new operators on assembly cell procedures, quality standards, and safety protocols
- Enhanced efficiency by 33% through the design, 3D printing, and integration of module and PCB fixtures
- Increased operational safety by 70% while maintaining efficiency by designing and implementing custom safety enclosures in SolidWorks
Technical Experience
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May 2021 – Aug 2021 Design Shop Assistant
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, NC State University, Raleigh, NC - Used AutoCAD to design ornaments and to create an art piece for the new design studio
- Supported the manufacturing of parts for graduate students and professors in the machine shop using laser and waterjet cutters
- Used SolidWorks and waterjet cutter to design and fabricate a safety cover for the bench grinder
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Aug 2020 – Aug 2022 Aerodynamics Engineering Team Member
Wolfpack Motorsports FSAE, NC State University, Raleigh, NC - Designed components, including rear wing, side wing, and side pods, using CREO and SolidWorks
- Conducted CFD simulations to optimize aerodynamic performance, improve design efficiency, and support data-driven decision-making in component development
- Supported in manufacturing components through machining and carbon fiber layups
Projects
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Present SO-101 Arm RL Controller
- Trained a PPO policy in Isaac Lab with custom reward shaping, currently implementing deployment on real hardware for multi-pose execution
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Present Atlas Whole-Body Control (QP + DCM Planner)
- Implemented a QP-based whole-body controller and integrated a DCM walking planner to generate stable locomotion trajectories for the Atlas humanoid
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Present Manipulator Control Framework (3-DOF Arm)
- Developed joint-space, operational-space, and whole-body torque controllers in PyBullet using Pinocchio-based dynamics
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Present MNIST Deep Learning Pipeline
- Implemented softmax regression and a 2-layer MLP with full backprop, SGD, batching, and hyperparameter tuning without deep-learning libraries
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Present CNN & Imbalanced Learning (CIFAR-10)
- Built a CNN from scratch and trained PyTorch models with class-balanced focal loss to address dataset imbalance
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Present Robotic Arm
- Developed a custom-built robotic arm equipped with a camera and a basic machine learning algorithm to autonomously identify and sort objects using Inverse Kinematics
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Present Automated Water level Control System [Senior Design 1st Place]
- SolidWorks-designed, 3D-printed system using Raspberry Pi control to autonomously manage water level from sensor and solenoid inputs
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Present Autonomous UAV
- Developed an RC Fixed Wing UAV using Bixler Airframe, Matek Flight Controller and Ardupilot Autopilot for applications like aerial Surveillance, mapping, and delivery services
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Present Path Following Robot
- Developed a robot featuring an array of IR sensors, integrated with a microcontroller, motor driver, and a DC motor for automated navigation in industrial automation