Kaitlyn Becker

I am an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at MIT. My research focuses on co-development of mechanism design and the methods by which we make them, taking inspiration from biology, and manufacturing methods ranging from traditional to cutting edge. This is rooted in a deep interest in the intersection of design and manufacturing, which I discovered as a mechanical engineer and a glassblower at MIT. Motivating my work is the creation of tools for working in challenging environments like the deep sea and working with specimen that are delicate, compliant, and complex. 

I completed my PhD in the Microrobotics lab at Harvard University, where I designed and fabricated soft robots for gentle grasping and biological sampling in the deep-sea. After my PhD, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Soft Math lab at Harvard, where I worked on coordinated and transformable structures.

Prior to graduate school, I completed my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at MIT in 2009 and then worked on the electronic assembly of subcutaneous defibrillators as a manufacturing engineer for Cameron Health, now owned by Boston Scientific. Following that, I moved on to on high precision replica molding, high flow UV water purification, and electro-spinning, as a research and development engineer for a Nano Terra Inc., a nano-technology company. I am also a senior instructor in MIT glass lab, where I teach intermediate classes that combine fundamental glassblowing techniques with creative design and technical concepts from core mechanical engineering curricula.

For graduate students interested in joining my lab, please apply through the graduate admissions process for the department of mechanical engineering at MIT. The deadline is in December of each year. I am not currently hiring for fall 2023 but may hire one student in the fall of 2024.

For postdoctoral researchers, I do not currently have funding but am happy to discuss and potentially support grant proposals and fellowship applications to fund work in my lab.