Principal Investigator

Simon Sponberg
Simon moved to Georgia Tech in the fall of 2014. He studies how the versatile, agile locomotion of animals arises from their physiological components using the perspective of physics and comparative biology. He completed his graduate training at UC, Berkeley and postdoctoral research at the University of Washington.
University Contact Info
Simon Sponberg
Dunn Family Professor
School of Physics
School of Biological Sciences
Adjunct in Biomedical Engineering
Bioengineering Graduate Program
Quantitative Biosciences Graduate Program
Georgia Institute of Technology
Howey Physics Building C205
837 State St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30313
sponberg@gatech.edu
@SimonSponberg

The Sponberg Group @ Georgia Tech
Agile Systems Lab
837 State St. NW
Howey Physics Building W208/W209
Atlanta, GA 30313
Postdocs

Dr. Brett Aiello
Ph.D. from University of Chicago
Integrative Biology

Dr. Joy Putney
Ph.D. from Georgia Tech
Quantitative Biosciences
Joy obtained her B.S. in Biology and Physics-Engineering from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. While there, she researched how electrical signals for gastrointestinal motility are altered by disease states. She has an interest in the interface between biomechanics and neural control that started with her undergrad research, and is excited to work in the Sponberg lab, because--let's face it--moths are a lot cuter than guts. When not in lab, she enjoys reading books, going to the movies, hiking, and playing video games.
Graduate Students

Usama Bin Sikandar
Ph.D. student
Electrical Engineering
Usama received his B.S. from LUMS and M.S. from Georgia Tech. He is interested in biomechanics, control systems and dynamics. He uses models of flapping flight, control systems and integrative biology approaches to understand how hawkmoths display remarkable agility in their flight. In his spare time, you might find him doing road trips, exploring restaurants, listening to some really good music or just watching cricket (not the insect).

Varun Sharma
Ph.D. student
Quantitative Biosciences

Leo Wood
Ph.D. student
Quantitative Biosciences

Ethan Wold
Ph.D. student
Quantitative Biosciences
Undergraduates

Emine Zeynep Ulutas
Neuroscience
Emine is an undergraduate Neuroscience major interested in systems and cellular neuroscience. She is working with Brett on understanding how contextual cues and neuromodulation can regulate behavioral plasticity in moths. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with my friends, playing violin, and trying out new restaurants/coffee shops.

Haritha Sigili
Neuroscience
Haritha is an undergraduate neuroscience major with a minor in health and medical sciences. Her interests lie within systems neuroscience. She is working to understand the process behind how hawkmoths learn and apply that knowledge. In her spare time, she enjoys having out with her friends and learning to cook new recipes.

Miguel Zadorosny
Mechanical Engineering
Miguel is a third-year Mechanical Engineering student interested in biomechanics and computational physics. He is working with Usama on models for flight analysis of flower-tracking moths. In his free time, he likes to rock climb, play soccer, and watch bad movies with friends.

Julianne Cato
Biology
Julie is an undergrad biology major. She is working with Leo to help understand the interactions between the nervous system and the muscular system and how movement is impacted as a result. She likes reading, baking, finding new coffee shops, and spending time with friends.

Manon Harris
Physics
Manon is a Physics major and is pursuing a concentration in Physics of Living Systems and a minor in Biology. She is currently working with Ethan to gain knowledge on the spring constants and resonant frequencies of different species of moths. In her free time, Manon likes to crochet, paint, and to spend lots of time with her friends and family.
Lab Alumni
Dr. Stephanie Gage (Post-doc, Ph.D. Neurobiology & Neuroscience, University of Arizona)
Dr. Megan Matthews (Ph.D. Physics, Georgia Tech)
Dr. Jeff Gau (Ph.D. BioEngineering, Georgia Tech)
Dr. Travis Tune (Ph.D. Physics, Georgia Tech)
Dr. Izaak Neveln (Post-doc, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University)
Marc Guasch (Research Technician -- now a grad student at Georgia Tech)
Gabriel Montes (Physics undergrad)
Harrison Fu (BME undergrad)
Manognya Sripathi (BME undergrad)
Sofia Russo (Physics REU)
Rebecca Burns (Physics REU)
Tobias Niebur (ECE -- now a grad student at JHU)
Brandon Pratt
Gabriela "Ella" Small (Swarthmore -- Physics)
Martha Rimniceanu (Research Technician -- now at Frye Lab, UCLA)
Amoolya Tirumalai (BME -- now at Bhandawat Lab, Duke)
Elizabeth Veith (Bio)
Rachel Barker (Physics -- now at Sober Lab, Emory)
Chidinma "Chi Chi" Chukwueke (BME -- now at Abbott Labs)
Steven Chandler (Research Technician)
Gabriela Maria Hernandez (Physics, Univ. of Miami)
Brittany Bayley (Physics -- Masters)
William Xia (ECE)
Natalie Murray (Physics)
Frank Adams (Physics/Mech. Eng. Clark Atlanta Univ.)
Hunter Hakimian (Physics)
Ravi Chauhan (Mech. Eng.)