Welcome to the website of the Collective Dynamics and Control
Laboratory
Contact — Director — Media — Research — Publications — Lab
Members
Welcome to the website of the Collective Dynamics and Control
Laboratory
Contact — Director — Media — Research — Publications — Lab
Members
Dr. Derek A. Paley
Director, Maryland Robotics Center
Principal Investigator, AI and Autonomy for Multi-Agent
Systems (ArtIAMAS)
Principal Investigator, RoboScout DTC:
Emergency Response for Automated Intelligent Assessment
of Mass Causality Incidents
Director, Collective Dynamics and Control Laboratory
Willis H. Young Jr. Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Education
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Institute for
Systems Research, University of Maryland
Office: 3150 Martin Hall, 4298 Campus Dr., College Park,
MD 20742
(301) 405-5757 | (301) 314-0213 (fax)
Lab: 3247 Kim Engineering Building, 8228 Paint Branch Dr.
dpaley@umd.edu | http://cdcl.umd.edu
Derek A. Paley is Director of the Maryland Robotics Center and Willis H. Young Jr. Professor of
Aerospace Engineering Education in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Institute for
Systems Research at the University of Maryland. He is the founding director of the UMD Collective
Dynamics and Control Laboratory and the UMD Autonomous Micro Air Vehicle Team. Paley leads the
UMD RoboScout Team in the DARPA Triage Challenge. Paley is an Affiliate Professor in the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, an Affiliate Research Scientist in the Applied
Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security, and a member of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft
Center, the Maryland Robotics Center, the Maryland Transportation Institute, and the MATRIX
Lab. Paley received the B.S. degree in Applied Physics from Yale University in 1997 and
the Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in
2007 (dissertation). He received the the National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2010,
the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2012, the University of
Maryland E. Robert Kent Teaching Award for Junior Faculty in 2014, and the AIAA National
Capital Section Engineer of the Year in 2015. Paley was a Fellow in the 2013–2014 Office of
Naval Research Sabbatical Fellowship Program, a Fellow in the 2019–2020 UMD ADVANCE
Leadership Fellows Program, a 2020-2021 UMD Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, and a 2023 UMD
Exemplary Researcher. He has been selected as a UMD University Honors Faculty Fellow for
2023-2025 and received the 2025 Senior Faculty Outstanding Research Award from the A. James
Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. Paley has authored more than 190
peer-reviewed publications including the textbook Engineering Dynamics: A Comprehensive
Introduction (Princeton University Press, 2011); he edited the volume Bioinspired Sensing,
Actuation, and Control in Underwater Soft Robotic Systems (Springer, 2020). He teaches
introductory dynamics, advanced dynamics, aircraft flight dynamics and control, collective
behavior, and nonlinear control. Paley’s research interests are in the area of dynamics and
control, including cooperative control of autonomous vehicles, adaptive sampling with mobile
networks, spatial modeling of biological groups, and bioinspired robotics. His research is based on
support by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office, the Army
Research Laboratory, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science
Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. Paley is Associate Fellow of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics and Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers. He has served as an Associate Editor for AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and
Dynamics, IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, and IEEE Control Systems
Magazine. Curriculum vitae; Google scholar profile; ResearcherID ORCID Scopus LinkedIn
Read interview with Paley from IEEE Control Systems, April 2020.
Dynamics, estimation, and control: Distributed control of autonomous robotic systems
Mobile sensor networks: Adaptive sampling of spatiotemporal processes
Biocomplexity and bioinspiration: Quantitative modeling of animal groups and behavior
See CDCL news, photos, and videos on the CDCL Facebook page and the CDCL YouTube
channel
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(To see a list of all of the videos, click the playlist icon at the top right of the video player below.)
Improving Campus Safety with 5G Drones for First Responders (RNO Holdings 2025–2026, with the UMD UAS Research and Operations Center) The long-term goal of this project is to locate and track threats on college campuses using a smart swarm of small quadrotor drones with advanced cellular networking capabilities. The specific research objective is to apply tools from rotorcraft design, telecommunications, robotics, and AI to solve the problem of detecting, localizing, and tracking suspected perpetrators of potential mass shootings in campus and urban environments.
University of Maryland Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence (Army, Navy & NASA 2023–2026, with the A. Gessow Rotorcraft Research Center) This research program seeks to advance fundamental understanding, predictive, and design optimization capabilities in a number of areas of science and engineering of great significance to the rotorcraft field. The objective of the CDCL task, “UAS System Identification and Control for Safe Proximity Flight,” is to design, build, test, and demonstrate fully autonomous UAS 3D mapping solutions that can reliably and successfully operate in challenging indoor, constrained environments.
RoboScout DTC: Emergency Response for Automated Intelligent Assessment of Mass Causality Incidents (DARPA 2023–2025, with Dinesh Manocha, Sarah Murthi, and Josh Gaus) RoboScout DTC (DARPA Triage Challenge, Primary Triage Systems Competition, Track A) aims to demonstrate a standoff sensing capability using COTS sensors placed on uncrewed air and ground mobile robotic platforms with AI-based casualty assessment algorithms that provide automated, real-time labeling of mass-casualty injuries in the field. The overall goal is to focus on assessing from a distance using non-contact, standoff signature acquisitions for the leading causes of preventable trauma death. The specific research objective is to apply tools from AI and perception, medical trauma and sensors, and robotics and autonomy to develop physiological signatures of severe injuries, data-driven models to detect them, and mobile platforms to collect the sensor data.
Increasing Sustainability, Accessibility, and Equity in Urban Mobility with A Self-driving E-Scooter (UMD 2023–2026 Grand Challenge Individual Award) The long-term goal of this Grand Challenge project is to increase sustainability, accessibility, and equity in urban mobility through electric- powered scooters by enabling them to autonomously move where they are needed the most. The specific research objective is to create self-driving e-scooters using tools from robotics, engineering, and computer science to solve the problem of creating a low-emissions, convenient, and inexpensive transportation modality for dense urban settings. The research provides training opportunities for students interested in autonomous robotics and self-driving vehicles.
Hydrodynamics, Sensing & Control in Schooling Fish: From Biology to Efficient Multi-Vehicle Systems (ONR 2022–2026, with E. Kanso, M. McHenry, and Rajat Mittal) The long-term goal of this research activity is to investigate close-proximity swimming in fish-inspired underwater vehicles using a principled approach to modeling and control that results in a physical demonstration of multiple free-swimming prototypes whose interactions yield hydrodynamic benefits. The specific research objective is to apply tools from fluid dynamics, continuum mechanics, and automatic control theory to solve the problem of optimally regulating the swimming behavior of a flexible robotic fish using distributed sensing of the body deformation, adjacent fluid structures, and the relative position/orientation, velocity, and shape of nearby propulsive bodies.
AI and Autonomy for Multi-Agent Systems (ArtIAMAS) (ARL 2021–2026, with A. Gangopadhyay, J. Herrmann, D. Manocha, and N. Roy) The long-term goal of this cooperative agreement is to enable dual-use capabilities and technologies in uncrewed assets and smart devices that work intelligently in cooperation with each other and human actors across multiple domains. The specific research objectives include science-focused and science-led application of tools from engineering, computer science, operations research, cybersecurity, and robotics to solve the problem of endowing embodied mobile platforms and equipment with the requisite intelligence and autonomy to support high-tempo movement and maneuver, secure logistics, and enable situational awareness in complex environments while reducing human workload and risk.
Robotics and Autonomy Laboratory (Maryland Robotics Center) facility supports mobile robotics research, robotics prototyping, and manufacturing
Brin Family Aerial Robotics Lab (Maryland Robotics Center) facility designed for testing flying and ground robotic platforms
Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility (Space Systems Laboratory) 367,000 gallon water tank
Fearless Flight Facility (Department of Aerospace Engineering) 100’ x 300’ x 50’ outdoor netted arena
2. D. A. Paley and N. Wereley, editors. Bioinspired Sensing, Actuation, and Control in Underwater Soft Robotic Systems. Springer, 2020.
1. N. J. Kasdin and D. A. Paley. Engineering dynamics: A comprehensive introduction. Princeton University Press, 2011. [Review] [Errata].
84. R. Gebhardt and D. A. Paley. Feedback stabilization and trajectory tracking of a drifting vortex near a robotic fish using shape control. Submitted.
83. W. Cui, S. S. Poojari, S. S. Abdi, S. M. Nogar, and D. A. Paley. An autonomous framework for collaborative aerial search and target revisit beyond visual line of sight. Submitted.
82. C. Merrill and D. A. Paley. Shape estimation and distributed control of a planar multibody flexible spacecraft. Submitted.
81. S. Abdi and D. A. Paley. Multi-sensor pose and parameter estimation for human-robot interactions. Submitted.
80. W.-K. Yen and D. A. Paley. Modeling inline oscillating foils using periodic conformal mapping. Applied Ocean Research, 156(104459), 2025.
79. S. S. Poojari, J. Lee, and D. A. Paley. Outdoor localization and path planning for autonomously repositioning a self-driving electric scooter. IEEE Trans. Intellligent Vehicles, 2024.
78. C. Wei, E. Berkenpas, and D. A. Paley. Distributed estimation of the pelagic scattering layer using multiple buoyancy controlled underwater vehicles. Ocean Engineering, 307(118076), 2024.
77. A. Thompson, L. Canuelas-Puri, and D. A. Paley. Phase synchronization of self-propelled particles with intermittent sensing and actuation. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control, 69(5):2871–2882, 2024.
76. A. A. Thompson, A. N. Peterson, M. J. McHenry, and D. A. Paley. A lionfish-inspired predation strategy in planar structured environments. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 18(4), 2023.
75. A. Shastry and D. A. Paley. System identification for high-performance UAV control in wind. Int. J. Robust and Nonlinear Control, 33:10451–10467, 2023.
74. S. Cheng and D. A. Paley. Cooperative estimation and control of a diffusion-based spatiotemporal process using mobile sensors and actuators. Autonomous Robots, 47:715–731, 2023.
73. R. Suitor, E. Berkenpas, and D. A. Paley. Dynamics and control of a buoyancy-driven underwater vehicle for estimating and tracking the scattering layer. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 8(5):3015–3022, 2023.
72. E. Fowler and D. A. Paley. Observability metrics for space-based cislunar domain awareness. J. Astronautical Sciences, 70(10):1–24, 2023.
71. Y.-C. Liu, A. Jafari, J. K. Shim, and D. A. Paley. Dynamic modeling and simulation of electric scooter interactions with a pedestrian crowd using a social force model. IEEE Trans. Intelligent Transportation Systems, 23(9):16448–16461, 2022.
70. D. Goswami, A. Riggins, and D. A. Paley. Data-driven prediction of urban micromobility: A study of dockless electric scooters. IEEE Control Systems Magazine, 42(5):18–31, 2022.
69. S. Cheng and D. A. Paley. Optimal guidance and estimation of a 2D diffusion-advection process by a team of mobile sensors. Automatica, 137(110112):1–13, 2022.
68. D. A. Paley, A. A. Thompson, A. Wolek, and P. Ghanem. Planar formation control of a school of robotic fish: Theory and experiments. Frontiers in Control Engineering, special issue on “Control of Underwater Autonomous Vehicles”, 2021.
67. L. Johnson, D. A. Paley, and H. A. Bruck. Modeling the flight dynamics and battery utilization of a hybrid flapping-gliding UAV. AIAA J. Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 44(12):2276–2283, 2021.
66. S. Cheng and D. A. Paley. Optimal control of a 2D diffusion-advection process with a team of mobile actuators under jointly optimal guidance. Automatica, 133, 2021.
65. D. Goswami and D. A. Paley. Bilinearization, reachability, and optimal control of control-affine nonlinear systems: a Koopman spectral approach. IEEE Trans. Automatic Control, 67(6):2715–2728, 2021.
64. A. Wolek and D. A. Paley. A 3D underwater robotic collective called Blueswarm. Science Robotics, 6(50):eabf4315, 2021.
112. Z. Bortoff, S. S. Poojari, K. Baxevani, A. Mangel, A. Marathe, and D. A. Paley. Bayesian network inference engine for conducting field robotic triage using image classifiers. Submitted.
111. Z. Bortoff, A. Luterman, D. A. Paley, and S. Nogar. Using target detection probability to evaluate area coverage by a UAV. To appear in Proc. ICUAS’25.
110. R. Gebhardt and D. A. Paley. Reduced-order modeling and control of bioinspired inline swimming. To appear in Proc. ACC 2025.
109. C. Merrill and D. A. Paley. Dynamic mode decomposition for shape estimation of a large flexible spacecraft. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA 2025-0530, Orlando, Florida, 2025.
108. A. Shastry, W. Cui, S. Abdi, S. S. Poojari, A. Ashry, Q. Wei, A. Luterman, V. Ved, and D. A. Paley. Indoor aerial 3D mapping and target localization with a custom-built multispectral visual-inertial sensor system. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA 2025-1505, Orlando, Florida, 2025.
107. R. Suitor, D. Sofge, and D. A. Paley. Bioinspired intermittent control of a miniature autonomous blimp for tracking a moving target. In Proc. OCEANS, Halifax, Canada, 2024.
106. E. Fowler and D. A. Paley. Control of satellite formations near Earth-moon Lagrange points for interferometric characterization of cislunar objects. In Proc. AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, number AAS 24-427, Broomfield, Colorado, August 2024.
105. W.-K. Yen, K. Bhingradiya, T. Regli, and D. A. Paley. Visual and hydrodynamic feedback control of a robotic fish for inline swimming. In Proc. 15th IFAC Conf. Control Applications in Marine Systems, Robotics and Vehicles, Blacksburg, Virginia, 2024.
104. W. Cui, A. Shastry, S. M. Nogar, and D. A. Paley. Autonomous aerial search and revisit behavior for communication limited environments. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA 2024-0325, pages 1–12, Orlando, Florida, 2024.
103. C. Merrill and D. A. Paley. Lyapunov-based two-axis magnetic attitude control of a rigid spacecraft. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA 2024-0325, pages 1–9, Orlando, Florida, 2024.
102. E. Fowler and D. A. Paley. Formation flight design near Earth-Moon Lagrange points for interferometric characterization of cislunar objects. In Proc. Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conf., pages 1–12, Maui, Hawaii, 2023.
101. R. Suitor, E. Berkenpas, and D. A. Paley. Dynamics and control of a buoyancy-driven underwater vehicle for estimating and tracking the scattering layer. In Proc. Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Detroit, Michigan, 2023.
100. A. Wolek and D. A. Paley. Output feedback formation control of a school of robotic fish with artificial lateral line sensing. In Proc. Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pages 4715–4720, Detroit, Michigan, 2023.
99. R. Gebhardt and D. A. Paley. Feedback stabilization of vortex position near a deformable foil in a uniform flow using camber control. In Proc. American Control Conf., pages 2895–2900, San Diego, California, 2023.
98. S. Abdi and D. A. Paley. Safe operations of an aerial swarm via a cobot human swarm interface. In Proc. Int. Conf. Robotics and Automation, pages 1701–1707, London, England, 2023.
97. C. Merrill and D. A. Paley. Distributed control of the attitude and shape of a flexible spacecraft. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA 2023-2319, National Harbor, Maryland, 2023.
96. A. Donkels, J. Dauer, and D. A. Paley. Dynamics analysis of tethered unmanned rotorcraft. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA-2023-0296, National Harbor, Maryland, 2023.
95. C. Wei and D. A. Paley. Distributed estimation of the pelagic scattering layer using a buoyancy controlled robotic system. In Proc. Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, 2022.
94. C. Wei and D. A. Paley. Distributed spacing control for multiple, buoyancy-controlled underwater robots. In S. M. LaValle, J. M. O’Kane, D. Sadigh, and P. Tokekar, editors, Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics XV: Proc. 15th International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics, volume 25 of Proceedings in Avanced Robotics, College Park, Maryland, 2022. Springer.
93. A. A. Thompson, L. Cañuelas, and D. A. Paley. Estimation and control for collective motion with intermittent locomotion. In Proc. American Control Conf., pages 747–754, Atlanta, Georgia, 2022.
92. C. Merrill and D. A. Paley. Multi-target detection and tracking in a heterogeneous environment with multiple resource-constrained sensors. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, pages 1–13, San Diego, California, January 2022.
91. E. J. Berkenpas, C. M. Shepard, R. Suitor, P. Zaidins, and D. A. Paley. Swarming driftcams: A novel platform for locating and tracking pelagic scattering layers. In Proc. OCEANS, pages 1–6, San Diego, California, 20 September 2021.
90. J. Lathrop and D. A. Paley. Burrowing locomotion via crack propagation of a bio-inspired soft robot. In Proc. Modeling, Estimation and Control Conference, volume 54 of IFAC-PapersOnLine, pages 128–133, Austin, Texas, 24 October 2021.
89. S. Cheng and D. A. Paley. Optimal guidance of a team of mobile actuators for controlling a 1D diffusion process with unknown initial conditions. In Proc. American Control Conf., pages 1493–1498, New Orleans, Louisiana, 25 May 2021.
88. D. Goswami, A. Wolek, and D. A. Paley. Data-driven estimation using an Echo-State Neural Network equipped with an Ensemble Kalman Filter. In Proc. American Control Conf., pages 2543–2548, New Orleans, Louisiana, 25 May 2021.
87. E. Fowler, S. Hurtt, and D. A. Paley. Observability metrics for space-based cislunar domain awareness. In Proc. 31st AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, number 21-406, 2021.
86. L. Johnson, D. A. Paley, and H. A. Bruck. Modeling the flight dynamics and battery utilization of a hybrid flapping-gliding UAV. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA 2021-2017, pages 1–10, 2021.
85. S. Cheng and D. A. Paley. Optimal guidance and estimation of a 1D diffusion process by a team of mobile sensors. In Proc. 59th IEEE Conf. Decision and Control, pages 1222–1228, Jeju, Korea, 14 December 2020.
84. S. Cheng and D. A. Paley. Optimal control of a 1D diffusion process with a team of mobile actuators under jointly optimal guidance. In Proc. American Control Conf., pages 3449–3454, Denver, Colorado, July 2020.
83. P. Ghanem, A. Wolek, and D. A. Paley. Planar formation control of a school of robotic fish. In Proc. American Control Conf., number 1653-1658, Denver, Colorado, July 2020.
82. A. Wolek, S. Cheng, D. Goswami, and D. A. Paley. Cooperative mapping and target search over an unknown occupancy graph using mutual information. In Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, pages 1–8, Paris, France, 2020.
81. T. Burch, J. Lathrop, W. Scott, and D. A. Paley. Feedback control of a soft swinging appendage. In Proc. 3rd IEEE Conf. Soft Robotics, pages 1–6, New Haven, Connecticut, 2020.
80. E. Fowler, S. Hurtt, and D. A. Paley. Orbit design for cislunar space domain awareness. In Proc. 2nd International Conference on Space Situational Awareness, Washington, District of Columbia, 2020.
79. J. Lidard, D. Goswami, D. Snyder, G. Sedky, A. Jones, and D. A. Paley. Output feedback control for lift maximization of a pitching airfoil. In Proc. AIAA SciTech, number AIAA-2020-1836, pages 1–13, Orlando, Florida, 2020.
42. Alexandra Mangel (AE MS 2024)
41. Curtis Merrill (AE PhD 2024)
40. Wei Cui (AE PhD 2024
39. Sydrak Abdi (AE PhD 2024)
38. Animesh Shastry (AE PhD 2024) dissertation
37. Ahmed Ashry (AE MS 2024) thesis
36. Cong Wei (MRC postdoc 2021–2023; faculty Old Dominion University)
35. Weikuo Yen (AE postdoc 2021–2023; faculty University of Maryland)
34. Srijal Poojari (SE MS 2023) thesis
33. Anthony Thompson (AE PhD 2023) dissertation
32. Nathan Toombs (AE MS 2022) thesis
31. Sheng Cheng (ECE PhD 2021) dissertation
30. Nilanjana Ghosh (SE MS 2021) thesis
29. Kevin Dong (SE MS 2021) thesis
28. Shivam Mishra (SE MS 2021) thesis
27. Prateek Prakash (SE MS 2020) thesis
26. Will Scott (AE postdoc 2017–2020; faculty Bucknell University)
25. Artur Wolek (MRC postdoc 2018–2020; faculty UNC Charlotte)
24. Debdipta Goswami (ECE PhD 2020; faculty The Ohio State University) thesis
23. Jordan Boehm (AE MS 2019) thesis
22. Paul Ghanem (SE MS 2019) thesis
21. Daniel Gomez (AE MS 2019) thesis
20. Will Craig (AE PhD 2019) dissertation
19. Travis Burch (AE MS 2019) thesis
18. Brian Free (AE PhD 2019) dissertation
17. Giulia Franchi (AE postdoc 2017; faculty Salisbury University)
16. Frank Lagor (AE PhD 2017; faculty University at Buffalo) dissertation
15. Daigo Shishika (AE PhD 2017; faculty George Mason University) dissertation
14. Brett Barkley (AE MS 2017) thesis
13. Derrick Yeo (AE postdoc 2013–2016; faculty University of Michigan)
12. Feitian Zhang (AE postdoc 2015–2016; faculty George Mason University)
11. Amanda Chicoli (NACS PhD 2016; faculty University of Maryland) dissertation
10. Nitin Sydney (AE PhD 2015) dissertation
9. Chin Gian Hooi (AE MS 2015) thesis
8. Levi DeVries (AE PhD 2014; faculty U.S. Naval Academy) dissertation
7. Tracie Severson (AE PhD 2013; faculty U.S. Naval Academy) dissertation
6. Sachit Butail (AE PhD 2012; faculty Northern Illinois University) dissertation
5. Cammy Peterson (AE PhD 2012; faculty Brigham Young University) dissertation
4. Nina Mahmoudian (AE postdoc 2011; faculty Purdue University)
3. Seth Napora (AE MS 2011) thesis
2. Rochelle Mellish (AE MS 2011) thesis
1. Sonia Hernandez (AE MS 2009) thesis
Last updated April 15, 2025