William Stewart

William Stewart is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stony Brook University. He joined the university in 2022 and leads the Soft Flyers Group laboratory. His research focuses on multimodal robotics, particularly in developing robots that integrate principles from soft robotics, biology, and science fiction to enhance capabilities in challenging environments. He holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University (2018) and has postdoctoral experience at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2018–2022).

Prof. Stewart's work emphasizes practical modeling, rigorous experimentation, and full vehicle validation. His research interests include eclectic robot design, energy-efficient perching mechanisms, bio-inspired systems, and resilient multi-modal drones. He actively reviews for journals such as Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, Robotics and Automation Letters, and Springer Nature Applied Sciences.

His educational background includes degrees from North Carolina State University: a B.S. (2012), M.S. (2014), and Ph.D. (2018), all in Aerospace Engineering. His professional experience combines academic leadership with advanced robotics research, contributing to innovations in aerial, ground, and underwater robotics.