Alumni
See the alumni list here.
Faculty
Herschel C. Pangborn, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Herschel C. Pangborn is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, and the Principal Investigator of the Pangborn Advanced Controls Lab. His research focuses on model predictive control, optimization, and set-based verification of dynamic systems, including electro-thermal systems in vehicles, buildings, and power grids.
More info...
Ph.D. Students
The PAC Lab is often seeking graduate students to join our team. Successful candidates should be self-motivated, curious, hard-working, and have a record of academic achievement. Please see the "join" page for more information about how to apply.
Seho Park
Degree in Progress:
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Research Topic:
Power and Thermal Management of Electrified Vehicles
sehopark (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Andrew Thompson
Degree in Progress:
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Research Topic:
Energy-aware Autonomy
aft5212 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
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Joshua Robbins
Degree in Progress:
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Research Topic:
Path Planning, Control, and Estimation for Autonomous Vehicles
(co-advised with Sean Brennan)
jrobbins (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Jonah Glunt
Degree in Progress:
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Research Topic:
Reachability Analysis Using Hybrid Zonotopes
jjg57 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Joe Pisani
Degree in Progress:
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Research Topic:
Path Planning, Control, and Estimation for Autonomous Vehicles
jmp8430 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Casey Hess
Degree in Progress:
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Research Topic:
Set-based Optimization, Model Predictive Control, and Robot Path Planning
(co-advised with Jacob Siefert)
czh5808 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
M.S. Students
The PAC Lab is often seeking graduate students to join our team. Successful candidates should be self-motivated, curious, hard-working, and have a record of academic achievement. Please see the "join" page for more information about how to apply.
Sarah Chekan
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2026
Research Topic:
Modeling and System-level Control of Renewable-integrated Microgrids.
sac6274 (at) psu (dot) edu
LinkedIn
More info...
Ben Hudson
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2026
Research Topic:
Modeling and Optimization of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
(co-advised with Julia Cole)
bjh6298 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Alex Haefner
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2026
Research Topic:
Design Modeling and Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (co-advised with Julia Cole)
ach5681 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Josh May
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2026
Research Topic:
Modeling and Control of Microreactors
Stephen McGlynn
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2026
Research Topic:
Design Optimization and Control of Electrified Aircraft
(co-advised with David Hall)
sam7300 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Jake Fenimore
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
August 2026
Research Topic:
Design Optimization and Controller Co-Design of Hybrid Electric Rotorcraft
(co-advised with David Hall)
jdf5609 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Finn Beck
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
August 2026
Research Topic:
Reconfigurable Thermal Management Testbed
fhb5024 (at) psu (dot) edu
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Kaelea Hayes
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2027
Research Topic:
Autonomous Vehicle Control and Path Planning
(co-advised with Sean Brennan)
kxh1031 (at) psu (dot) edu
More info...
Ben Kauffman
Degree in Progress:
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2027
Research Topic:
Co-design and Control of Aircraft Power and Thermal Management Systems
More info...
Undergraduate Students
The PAC Lab is often seeking undergraduate students to join our team, including but not limited to Schreyer Honors Scholars interested in completing their honors thesis on a topic relevant to our research areas. Please see the "join" page for more information about how to apply.
Liam McIntyre
Degree in Progress:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2026
Research Topic:
Autonomous Vehicle Control and Path Planning
LinkedIn
Daniel Pienknagura
Degree in Progress:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2026
Research Topic:
Autonomous Vehicle Control and Path Planning
LinkedIn
Jason Lee
Degree in Progress:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2027
Research Topic:
Thermal Management Testbed Development
LinkedIn
Alexa Gulea
Degree in Progress:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2027
Research Topic:
Dynamic Modeling of a Solar Dryer
(co-advised with Brian Fronk)
LinkedIn
Zoe Kunz
Degree in Progress:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2027
Research Topic:
Electro-mechanical Aircraft Testbed Development
(co-advised with David Hall)
Rejat Krishnan
Degree in Progress:
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date:
May 2028
Research Topic:
Autonomous Vehicle Control and Path Planning
LinkedIn
Post-dogs
Henry Pangborn
Research Topic:
Trajectory Optimization for Pursuit-Evasion Games Involving High-elasticity Spheres
(i.e., fetch with tennis balls)
