Alum Xiaobo Tan named 'Foundation Professor' at Michigan State

• Xiaobo Tan
• Baras
• Krishnaprasad
• bio-inspired robots
• underwater robots
• robotics
• alumni

Michigan State University has named alumnus Xiaobo Tan (EE Ph.D. 2002) an MSU Foundation Professor. At Maryland, Tan was advised by Professor John Baras (ECE/ISR) and Professor P. S. Krishnaprasad (ECE/ISR).

Tan’s research interests are in electroactive polymer sensors and actuators, modeling and control of smart materials, and bio-inspired underwater robots. He is the director of MSU’s Smart Microsystems Laboratory.

MSU Foundation Professorships recognize faculty who are world-class scholars, and provide five years of supplemental research support to awardees. Tan will hold the designation permanently.

Leo Kempel, dean of MSU’s College of Engineering, said Tan “is an innovator who is continuously developing smarter robots and systems, using advanced control theory, new materials, and novel, bio-inspired approaches. His work is fascinating, even as it produces immediately practical applications.”

Published January 27, 2016