Nils Napp

Nils Napp is an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University, where he directs the Napp-lab. He also holds a Visiting Professor appointment at the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC at the University of Stuttgart. His research bridges algorithm design and robotics, focusing on systems that operate in uncertain environments, with applications in autonomous construction, digital agriculture, and design synthesis.

His work emphasizes mapping mathematical insights to physical systems, enabling novel robotic behaviors through self-organization, noise management, and distributed reactive strategies. Collaborations with biologists inform his bio-inspired approaches to multi-robot systems. Recent projects include self-assembly of agents and large-scale robotic structures.

• NSF CAREER award (2019)
• Best paper awards finalist: RSS10, DARS12, DARS18, RSS18

Students in his lab, such as Andrew and Aaron, have presented at major robotics conferences (ICRA, IROS). His lab recently launched a new website to showcase ongoing work in robotic construction and algorithm robustness.