معرفی
Anthony Clark is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Pomona College, where he has been teaching since 2020. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor at Missouri State University from 2016 to 2020. He directs the ARCS (Autonomous Robotics and Complex Systems) Lab, which focuses on improving the robustness and adaptability of autonomous robots, particularly small-scale systems that can navigate unpredictable terrain and adapt to potential damage.
Clark earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Michigan State University in 2016, where he worked under Dr. Philip K. McKinley, and his B.S. in Computer Engineering from Kansas State University, graduating magna cum laude. His research centers on making autonomous robots more robust and adaptive through optimization algorithms and multimodal systems. He specializes in evolutionary robotics, computer vision, neural networks, and simulation methods for developing control systems that leverage multiple locomotion mechanisms.
His recent work demonstrates strong trends across several domains: developing hybrid locomotion systems (wheel/leg transformations), applying deep learning to terrain classification and pathfinding, using simulation environments for training, and exploring pretraining techniques for evolutionary robotics. His research shows a consistent focus on bridging simulation and real-world applications while addressing challenges in robot adaptability and robustness.
- Faculty Excellence in Teaching, Missouri State University (2018)
- Best Paper Award, Workshop on Evolutionary and Reinforcement Learning (2013)
- Best Paper Award, ALIFE Conference, Behavior and Intelligence Track (2012)
- Outstanding Reviewer, Elsevier (2018)
- Master Advisor Certification, Missouri State University (2017)
Clark has advised numerous undergraduate and graduate students through the ARCS Lab, with current research involving projects like the Adabot (a robot with multiple locomotion mechanisms) and thermal semantic segmentation for aerial field robots. His teaching portfolio includes courses on data structures, algorithms, neural networks, computer systems, and mobile robotics. He has also served as a Visiting Associate at Caltech's ARC Lab from 2023-2024, working with Dr. Soon-Jo Chung.
The ARCS Lab develops simulation environments, optimizes control systems, and fabricates physical robots. Current projects include the Adabot with its geared coaxial shaft mechanism for hybrid locomotion, thermal semantic segmentation using satellite data, and creating dynamic simulation environments with Unreal Engine 5. The lab emphasizes practical applications of theoretical research while training students in both hardware and software aspects of robotics.
