Johannes is a postdoctoral researcher in the MIT-Novo Nordisk Artificial Intelligence Postdoctoral Fellows Program in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. His research spans motor neuroscience and robot control, aimed at aiding individuals with neurological and physical disorders. In addition to his research, Johannes is a Teaching Assistant for two MIT classes: “Neural Control of Movement” and “Advanced System Dynamics and Control.” Prior to his current position, Johannes was an employee of KUKA from 2014 to 2022, where he initially specialized in the planning and implementation of robot applications focused on physical Human-Robot Interaction. He later worked as a Senior Research Engineer in KUKA’s Corporate Research department, driving research and technology development for future robotics products. Johannes has published dozens of patents, some of which have been incorporated into products. He earned his PhD degree with the highest distinction, under the supervision of Prof. Stefano Stramigioli (University of Twente) and Prof. Neville Hogan (MIT). In his PhD research, he applied Differential Geometric methods to achieve stable, safe, and efficient control of robots interacting with the environment. His PhD thesis was nominated as one of the finalists for the European Giralt PhD Award for extraordinary scientific contributions to robotics. Beyond his research, Johannes is committed to mentoring a gender-minority high school team in the global robotics competition, “FIRST Tech Challenge,” dedicated to fostering inclusivity in the next generation of engineers and researchers.

Website: https://jlachner.github.io/