Kenn Oldham

Professor Kenn Oldham is a tenured faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he leads the Vibration and Acoustics Laboratory: Microsystems. His research spans Controls, Mechatronics and Robotics, and Micro/Nano Engineering with applications in medical imaging and autonomous systems.

Education

• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley (2006)
• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (2000)

His work focuses on micro-mechatronic systems for endoscopic imaging, micro-robotic manipulation, physiological feedback identification, and MEMS modeling. Current projects include NIH-funded development of cellular-resolution endoscopic microscopes for neurological disease detection and leadership in a $6M National Center for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.

Awards & Recognition

• NSF CAREER Award (2010)
• DARPA Young Faculty Award (2008)
• ASME Fellow (2025)
• ORAU Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2006-2007)
• ADPET Fellowship, UC Berkeley (2005-2006)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2000-2003)

Professor Oldham mentors students through weekly individual meetings and collaborative lab sessions, emphasizing hands-on prototyping in physical systems development. He requires at least one GSI assignment during doctoral studies, supports summer internships, and funds conference attendance at venues including the American Control Conference and IEEE Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics. His lab maintains flexible scheduling with expectations for 4-5 year PhD completion.