Rate My Professor Joel Burdick

Joel Burdick is the Richard L. and Dorothy M. Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), as well as a Jet Propulsion Laboratory Research Scientist. He received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Duke University in 1981, M.S. degree from Stanford University in 1982, and Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in 1988. Burdick joined the Caltech faculty as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 1988, was promoted to Associate Professor in 1994, Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 2000, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering in 2002. He served as Executive Officer for Bioengineering from 2006 to 2007 and has held the Hayman Professorship since 2012. His career at Caltech spans over three decades, marked by progressive leadership in Engineering and Bioengineering departments.

Professor Burdick's research specializations include robotics, kinematics, mechanical systems, and control theory. Key areas of focus encompass robotic locomotion, sensor-based motion planning algorithms, multi-fingered robotic manipulation, applied nonlinear control theory, neural prosthetics, and medical applications of robotics. His work has advanced brain-machine interfaces, enabling direct neural connections for human motor restoration, and contributed to projects like the DARPA Subterranean Challenge through Team CoSTAR. In recognition of his innovations in robotics for paralyzed limb restoration, Burdick received the 2011 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award. As a prominent figure in Engineering at Caltech, his contributions have shaped neural prosthetics and bioinspired robotics, influencing interdisciplinary advancements in mechanical engineering and bioengineering fields. He maintains affiliations with the Rosen Bioengineering Center, Chen Institute, and Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies.