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The ELIXIR Lab: Where Space Robotics Descends to Earth to Learn, Think, Move, and Adapt Like Humans
The Embodied Learning and Intelligence for eXploration and Innovative soft Robotics (ELIXIR) Lab is a graduate research lab in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Mechatronics Engineering. The lab builds on a strong foundation in space robotics research, originally established at Carleton University, where the Principal Investigator held the Canada Research Chair in Autonomous Space Robotics and Mechatronics, and subsequently in Cognitive Soft Space Robotics. At ELIXIR Lab, we focus on advancing embodied artificial intelligence, soft robotics, and autonomous systems that can adapt and learn. Our research combines theory and real-world applications, designing smarter control and navigation strategies for robots used everywhere from home assistance and medical devices to drones and space missions.
We use tools like geometric mechanics, reinforcement learning, and neural control to create robots that can handle uncertainty and unexpected situations. A big part of our work is making sure these systems are reliable in the real world, not just in the lab. We design robotic systems that bring together hardware (mechanical and electrical parts) and software (computation and control) to work as a seamless whole.
At the ELIXIR Lab, we are working to close the gap between today鈥檚 physical robots and tomorrow鈥檚 truly intelligent machines. Our goal is to create robots that can learn from their environments, adapt to new challenges, and operate independently in messy, unpredictable settings, on Earth and beyond.
Group Members
Director
Robin Chhabra, PEng
Founder and Director
Advisory Board
Farzaneh Abdollahi
Associate Professor, Amirkabir University of Technology
Wei Huang, PEng
Chief Engineer, National Research Council of Canada (NRC)
Joseph Bakambu
Sr. Engineering Manager of the GNC Department at MDA Space.
Salim Rezvani
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2025鈥�
Mahboubeh Zarei
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2025鈥�
Vaughn Gzenda
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PhD Student (2023- )
Kyle Manke
Carleton University (Co-supervised with Dr. Ahmadi)
PhD Student (2024-)
Muhammed Mujeeb
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PhD Student (2025-)
Nargess Sayadian
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PhD Student (2025鈥�)
Vincent Lam
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MASc Student (2025-)
Benjamin Chung
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MASc Student (2025-)
Martin Do Pham
University of Toronto (Co-supervised with Dr. Dehnavi)
MASc Student (2023-)
Joshua Penafiel
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Juan Forero Baquero
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Joel Valley
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Om Chhugani
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Rohan Mistry
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Ammar Jaleel Mahmood
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Saad Khan
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Hamza Musaddaq
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Minh Quan Nguyen
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Wyatt Ewart
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Nishant Rana
Neotia University (visiting) 2024-
Domenic Bombino
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Alishba Aamir
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Nick Melnyk
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Rida-E Fatima
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Sajid Elbattay
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Eugene Vorobiov
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Mohammadjavad Javadi (OGS, $15K/year)
PhD
Carleton University
2025
Mahboubeh Zarei Jalalabadi (J.Y. E.W. Wong Award $5K, Nominated for University Medal)
PhD
Carleton University
2025
Sahand Farghdani
PhD
Carleton University
2025
Priyam Panchal
MEng
Carleton University
2024
Omar Abdelrahman
MEng
Carleton University
2023
Mili Patel (I-CUREUS)
Undergrad RA
Carleton University
2024
Borna Monazzah Moghaddam
PhD
Carleton University
2024
Philip Okotete
MASc
Carleton University
2024
Zach Morin-Barich (NSERC USRA)
Undergrad RA
Carleton University
2023
Sean Dauphinee
Undergrad RA
Carleton University
2023
Hon Yin Sze (NSERC USRA)
Undergrad RA/Co-op
Carleton University
2022
Hossain Md. Samei
MASc
Carleton University
2022
Patrick Rousso (Nominated for University Medal)
MASc
Carleton University
2022
Adam Holcik
Undergrad RA
Carleton University
2024
Justin Mansell
Intern
Carleton University
2018
Mayur Nunkoo
Undergrad Student
Undergraduate student at Carleton University, Mechanical & Aerospace
2020
Malav Naik
Intern
MASc student at Purdue University, Aeronautics & Astronautics
2021
Mohammadreza Mottaghi
MASc Student (Nominated for the University Medal)
Research Assistant at ASRoM-Lab
2021
Sanaz Samsam
MASc Student
SIL Software Integration Engineer at General Motors
2021
Santiago Martinez Acevedo
Undergrad Student
Junior Member of Technical Staff at MDA
2022
Partners
Universities and Academic Collaborators
Funding and Governmental Agencies
