Daniel Bruder

Daniel Bruder is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the FREE Lab. His research focuses on the design, modeling, and control of soft and non-traditional robotic systems aimed at enabling safe human assistance in unstructured environments.

Educational Background:

• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (2020)
• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (2020)
• B.S., Engineering Sciences, Harvard University (2013)

Research interests span Controls, Design, and Mechatronics & Robotics. Students in his lab participate in regular group meetings (ICRA, IROS, RSS, RoboSoft) and one-on-one check-ins, with lab travel funded for accepted publications. Advising emphasizes hands-on mentorship, shared progress documentation, and peer feedback.

Lab Responsibilities:

• Regular research progress
• Group meeting presentations
• Lab job roles (e.g., equipment supervisor)
• 3-5 peer-reviewed publications for graduation

He supports summer internships while encouraging on-campus research during half of the summer. Vacation planning is flexible with advance communication, often aligned with academic holidays.