A. Michael West Jr., originally from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is a first-year graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2018, he graduated from Yale University with Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. His research interests include robotics and rehabilitation engineering. He hopes to obtain a PhD and pursue a career in academia as a professor. 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, and taking trips to the beach.

Awards include: the MIT UCEM Scholarship, OGE Diversity Fellowship, GEM University Associate Fellowship, and Ford Foundation Fellowship.