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Associate Professor Ryan Sochol has been announced as Interim Director of the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) at the University of Maryland (UMD).
Launched in 2010 and based in the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) within the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the MRC comprises more than 40 faculty members from across UMD working to advance areas including autonomous systems, unmanned vehicles, human-robot interaction, multi-agent and swarm robotics as well as medical, bioinspired, and micro/nanoscale robotics. The MRC also offers graduate-level robotics degree and certificate programs through Maryland Applied Graduate Engineering as well as an undergraduate minor in robotics and autonomous systems.
Building on the legacy of distinguished MRC directors, including professors Satyandra K. Gupta, Nuno Martins, Sarah Bergbreiter, Miao Yu, and most recently, Derek Paley, Sochol now steps into the role to further elevate the center’s impact in robotics research, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Over the past decade, Sochol has directed the Bioinspired Advanced Manufacturing (BAM) Laboratory in pioneering micro- and nanoscale additive manufacturing strategies for biomedical applications, including medical/surgical robotics. For example, Sochol currently leads a $2.7 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) project 3D nanoprinting soft microrobotic systems for minimally invasive neurosurgery, which leverages his recently acquired $650,000 3D nanoprinter.
Sochol has received international media coverage for his integration of popular video games into robotics research and education, as seen in his Science Advances cover article demonstrating a 3D-printed soft robotic hand capable of playing Super Mario Bros. and his course “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Machine Design,”, in which students build transforming bioinspired robots using Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” video game.
These endeavors have led to a number of recent accolades for Sochol, including the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award, the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering’s Early Career Award, and the E. Robert Kent Outstanding Teaching Award for Junior Faculty. In addition, he has been named an American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) Rising Star of Mechanical Engineering, an Advanced. Materials Technologies Rising Star, and an Emerging Leader in Micromechanics and Microengineering.
Sochol’s research group—among whom five current Ph.D. students are NSF Graduate Research Fellowship awardees—has also been recognized with International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Outstanding Paper Awards in 2019, 2021, and 2025, Microsystems & Nanoengineering/Springer Nature Outstanding Paper Award honors in 2022 and 2024, the Micromachines–MDPI Outstanding Poster Award in 2024, and the Microfluidics on Glass Award in 2024.
“The MRC represents the very best of what a university can embody—from cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary collaboration to transformative educational opportunities for our students,” said Sochol. “I’m honored to help lead the MRC into its next chapter and excited to support our community as we push the boundaries of robotics in ways that benefit both science and society.”
Sochol holds a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and ISR as well as an affiliate appointment in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, and is a Fischell Institute Fellow within the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University in 2006, and both his M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2009 and 2011, respectively, with Doctoral Minors in bioengineering and public health. Following postdoctoral training at the University of Tokyo, the University of California, Berkeley, the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Sochol joined the faculty at UMD in 2015.
July 9, 2025
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