About Me
I am an Associate Professor (Robotics) with tenure in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. My research focuses on fundamental problems involving the planning, learning, and control of robot motion tasks. I am the Principal Investigator of The Robotics and Machine Intelligence Laboratory.
Academic and Research History
- Associate Professor, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2023–Present.
- Programme Leader, MSc in Intelligent Robotics Engineering (IRE), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2025–Present.
- Fellow, Institute for Higher Education Research and Development (IHERD), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2023–2026.
- Investigator, Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2021–Present.
- Principal Investigator, The Robotics and Machine Intelligence Laboratory, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2018–Present.
- Assistant Professor, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2017–2023.
- Visiting Researcher, Institute for Cognitive Systems, Technical University of Munich, Germany, 2019.
- Visiting Professor, COSMER Laboratory, University of Toulon, France, 2019.
- Research Assistant Professor, T Stone Robotics Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015–2017.
- Postdoctoral Fellow, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014–2015.
Academic and Professional Qualifications
- Senior Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), elevated in 2019.
- Doctor of Philosophy Degree, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), 2014
- Master's Degree, Centre for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV), 2008
- Bachelor of Engineering Degree, National Technological Institute of Mexico, 2003
Journal Editorship
- Associate Editor (AE), IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO), 2023–Present.
- Associate Editor (AE), IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (RA-M), 2023–Present.
- Technical Editor (TE), IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (T-MECH), 2025–Present.
Research and Supervision
I welcome applications from prospective PhD students from engineering disciplines, computer science, applied mathematics, or related fields. Outstanding candidates (i.e., those with a very high bachelor's GPA > 3.7/4 obtained from a QS/ARWU nationally top-ranked university) are invited to apply. Applicants must have (or about to complete) a research-based master's degree to enter our PhD programme.
Interested candidates must send the following 3 documents only: (1) Detailed CV; (2) Publications (i.e., PDFs of your papers); (3) Research portfolio (a slides-like presentation demonstrating relevant experience).
PhD Students (Graduation Year, Experience)
- Zeyu Zhou
- Ning Han
- Yuan Tian
- Yuexuan Xu
- Jinsong Wu
- Fangyuan Wang
- Shipeng Lyu
- Hui Zhi
- Gu Gong
- Bin Zhang
- Luiza Labazanova (2025 with attachment at Imperial, UK)
- Shengzeng Huo (2025 with attachment at SJTU, China)
- Hoi-Yin Lee (2024 with attachment at Bristol Robotics Lab, UK)
- Wanyu Ma (2023 with attachment at TUM, Germany)
- Peng Zhou (2022 with attachment at KTH, Sweden)
- Muhammad Muddassir (2022 with attachment at Southampton Univ, UK)
- Omar Zahra (2021 with attachment at DTU, Denmark)
- Maria Victorova (2021 with attachment at TUM, Germany)
Selected Publications from our Students
Student authors are underlined.
- Explicit-Implicit Subgoal Planning for Long-Horizon Tasks With Sparse Rewards. IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, 2025. DOI
- TEVIO: Thermal-Aided Event-Based Visual–Inertial Odometry for Robust State Estimation in Challenging Environments. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 2025. DOI
- Dual-Arm Shaping of Soft Objects in 3D Based on Visual Servoing and Online FEM Simulations. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 2024. DOI
- Non-Prehensile Object Transport by Nonholonomic Robots Connected by Linear Deformable Elements. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2024. DOI
- Fourier-Based Multi-Agent Formation Control to Track Evolving Closed Boundaries. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, 2023. DOI
- A Distributed Dynamic Framework to Allocate Collaborative Tasks Based on Capability Matching in Heterogeneous Multi-Robot Systems. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, 2023. DOI
- Self-Reconfigurable Soft-Rigid Mobile Agent with Variable Stiffness and Adaptive Morphology. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2023. DOI
- Action Planning for Packing Long Linear Elastic Objects Into Compact Boxes With Bimanual Robotic Manipulation. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2022. DOI
- On Radiation-Based Thermal Servoing: New Models, Controls and Experiments. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2022. DOI
- Robotics Meets Cosmetic Dermatology: Development of a Novel Vision-Guided System for Skin Photo-Rejuvenation. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2022. DOI
- Follow the Curve: Robotic Ultrasound Navigation with Learning-Based Localization of Spinous Processes for Scoliosis Assessment. IEEE Access, 2022. DOI
- Contour Moments Based Manipulation of Composite Rigid-Deformable Objects with Finite Time Model Estimation and Shape/Position Control. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 2021. DOI
- A Sensor-Based Robotic Line Scan System with Adaptive ROI for Inspection of Defects over Convex Free-form Specular Surfaces. IEEE Sensors Journal, 2021. DOI
- Vision-based Manipulation of Deformable and Rigid Objects Using Subspace Projections of 2D Contours. Robotics and Autonomous Systems, 2021. DOI
- Path Planning with Automatic Seam Extraction over Point Cloud Models for Robotic Arc Welding. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2021. DOI
- A Neurorobotic Embodiment for Exploring the Dynamical Interactions of a Spiking Cerebellar Model and a Robot Arm During Vision-based Manipulation Tasks. International Journal of Neural Systems, 2021. DOI
- Model-free Visually Servoed Deformation Control of Elastic Objects by Robot Manipulators. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2013. DOI
Contact Information
Email: dnavar [æ] polyu [ð] edu [ð] hk
Office Address: FG638, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Phone: (+852) 2766 7816