Michael West, originally from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is a sixth-year PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2018, he graduated from Yale University with Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and in 2020 he received a Master of Science from MIT. Currently, his research seeks to better control algorithms for robots involved in rehabilitation, and dexterous manipulation. At MIT, he is an active member of the Black Graduate Student Association and club rugby team. He enjoys playing sports, video games, card games, watching anime, and taking trips to the beach. For more about Michael check out his personal website: https://michaelwestjr.github.io/

Awards include: the MIT OGE Diversity Fellowship, UCEM Sloan Scholarship, GEM University Associate Fellowship, Ford Foundation Fellowship, Ben Gold Fellowship, Takeda Fellowship, and Accenture Fellowship.