Nicole Abaid

Nicole Abaid is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Virginia Tech, affiliated with the College of Science. Her research integrates dynamical systems, control theory, and robotics to study collective behavior in biological and engineered systems. She explores biologically-inspired models, such as bat swarms and brain networks, to develop applications in robotics and environmental monitoring.

Her work combines agent-based modeling, network analysis, and data-driven approaches to understand interactions in animal groups and robotic systems. Notable projects include analyzing bat echolocation for acoustic sensing in robotics and studying stress effects in human crowd dynamics during emergencies. She has also contributed to piezoelectric energy harvesting and ex vivo muscle stimulation via Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES).

Abaid’s research has been supported by grants like the NSF CAREER Award for collective behavior studies. She collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, including outreach programs in biomimetics and robotics for K-12 education. Her publications span journals and conferences, emphasizing applications in ecology, robotics, and control systems.