Steve Collins is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering at Stanford University, where he directs the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory. His research is focused on speeding and systematizing the design of prostheses and exoskeletons using versatile emulator hardware (Zhang et al. 2017, Science) and algorithms for human-in-the-loop optimization (Slade et al., 2022, Nature). Another interest is efficient autonomous devices, such as passive-dynamic walking robots (Collins et al. 2005, Science) and unpowered exoskeletons (Collins et al. 2015, Nature).

Prof. Collins received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2002 from Cornell University, where he performed research on passive dynamics with Andy Ruina. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from the University of Michigan, where he performed research on the biomechanics of human walking with Art Kuo. He performed postdoctoral research on humanoid robots with Martijn Wisse at T. U. Delft in the Netherlands. He was a professor of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University before joining Stanford in 2017.

Prof. Collins teaches courses on design and robotics and is the Faculty Director of making@stanford. He is a member of the Boards of Dynamic Walking and Science Robotics. He has received the Young Scientist Award from the American Society of Biomechanics and the Best Medical Devices Paper from the International Conference on Robotics and Automation. His teaching has been recognized with student-voted awards including the Tau Beta Pi Teaching Honor Roll and Professor of the Year in his department.