Brenna D. Argall is an Associate Professor of Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Northwestern University, and a Faculty Research Scientist at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Her research focuses on assistive and rehabilitation robotics, with an emphasis on human-robot interaction, shared autonomy, and intelligent control systems. She holds a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and has held postdoctoral fellowships at EPFL (Switzerland) and the NIH. Education: PhD in Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University (2009) Postdoctoral Fellow, EPFL (2009–2011) B.S. in Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon University (2002) Affiliations: Director, Argallab (Assistive & Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory) Member, Northwestern Center for Robotics and Biosystems Advisor, Northwestern MS in Robotics Program Her research explores dynamic autonomy allocation , shared control systems , and interface-aware robotics , with applications in rehabilitation and assistive devices. Key projects include wheelchair automation, robotic arm control, and body-machine interfaces for users with motor impairments. Research Highlights: NSF CAREER Award (2016) AIMBE Fellow (2020) "40 under 40" Innovator (Crain’s Chicago Business) Publications emphasize human-centered robotics, including over 50 peer-reviewed articles on topics like intent inference, assistive autonomy, and teleoperation assistance. Current lab efforts prioritize interface-aware systems and customizable shared control to enhance accessibility for users with disabilities.






