Jonathan Clark

Dr. Jonathan Clark is a Professor and Director of the CISCOR at the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering's Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on bioinspired robotics, legged locomotion, and mechanical design, emphasizing robots for unstructured environments. He holds a Ph.D. (2004), M.S. (2000), and B.S. (1998) in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and Brigham Young University, respectively.

Key research areas include dynamic climbing robots, compliant leg design, and shape deposition manufacturing. Notable projects involve the Sprawl family of robots and the development of multimodal robots like STARQ and Aquaclimber. His work bridges biomechanics and robotics, with applications in rescue, exploration, and industrial automation.

Publications emphasize gait optimization, material science for robotics, and energy-efficient locomotion. Recent trends include bioinspired swimming robots and terrain-adaptive systems. Clark collaborates with biologists and engineers to advance robotics in complex environments.

He advises on grants relating to dynamic systems and robotics education, and leads CISCOR's initiatives in advanced manufacturing and robotics innovation. Labs and teams include the CISCOR facility, focusing on prototyping and testing next-generation robotic platforms.