Postdoctoral Researcher · Robotics

Sheeraz Athar

Physical AI & Robotics (PAIR) Initiative · University of Notre Dame
Working with Prof. Nikolaus Correll on dexterous robotic hands
📄 npj Robotics · Nature Portfolio · 2026 🏅 IROS 2026 Best Paper Finalist 🥈 ASME MRC 2nd Prize NSF-funded

I design soft, compliant, and bio-inspired robotic systems with a focus on multimodal tactile sensing and physical interaction. My work spans soft robotics, underwater robotics, dexterous manipulation, and learning-enabled perception — always built and validated on real hardware.

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Sheeraz Athar
Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
Available
Research Areas
🖐️
Dexterous Hands
Notre Dame PAIR
✋
Tactile Sensing
VisTac · VibTac · FibTac
🤖
Soft Robotics
Bio-inspired · Compliant
🌊
Underwater Robots
Trimodal · Field-ready
🧠
Learning & Perception
Sensor fusion · Inference
News
Oct 2026
AwardV-TAP gripper named finalist for the IROS 2026 Best Paper Award.
Sep 2026
PressUnderwater robot featured on Purdue Newsroom and WLFI TV.
Aug 2026
PublicationFibTac published in npj Robotics (Nature Portfolio). 2,300+ accesses in first month.
2026
AwardV-TAP gripper wins 2nd Prize at the ASME MRC Design Competition.
Apr 2025
MilestonePassed PhD Preliminary Examination at Purdue University.
Jun 2024
PressTactile sensing work featured in Purdue College of Agriculture News.
Selected Publications · View all →
FibTac
FibTac: A Fiber-Based Pneumatic Gripper with Embodied Tactile Sensing
Sheeraz Athar, X. Zhang, M. R. I. Prince, V. G. Duffy, Yu She
npj Robotics, Nature Portfolio, 2026
Nature Portfolio🏅 IROS 2026 Best Paper Finalist
Paper Video Code
VibTac
VibTac: A High-Resolution, High-Bandwidth Tactile Sensing Finger for Multimodal Perception
Sheeraz Athar, X. Zhang, J. Ueda, Y. Zhao, Yu She
IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2025
🥈 ASME MRC 2nd Prize
DOI Video
VisTac
VisTac: Towards a Unified Multimodal Sensing Finger for Robotic Manipulation
Sheeraz Athar, G. Patel, Z. Xu, Q. Qiu, Yu She
IEEE Sensors Journal, 2023
DOI Video
Background
2026 – Present
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Notre Dame · PAIR Initiative · Host: Prof. Nikolaus Correll
Dexterous robotic hands at the intersection of manipulation, smart materials, and physical AI.
2022 – 2026
PhD, Industrial Engineering
Purdue University · MARS Lab · Advisor: Prof. Yu She
Embodied tactile sensing for soft robotic grippers. Published in npj Robotics (Nature). NSF-supported.
2019 – 2022
M.Phil., Robotics
HKUST · Cheng Kar-Shun Robotics Institute · Advisor: Prof. Michael Yu Wang
Origami-inspired soft actuators and robot manipulation.
2016 – 2020
B.E., Mechanical Engineering
Aligarh Muslim University, India
EEG-based exoskeleton for finger rehabilitation.
Media Coverage
Purdue Newsroom
Purdue's new underwater robot could make ocean missions more reliable
Aug 26, 2026
WLFI TV
Purdue Students Help Develop Underwater Robot With Multiple Ways to Move
Sep 4, 2026
🌾
Purdue Agriculture
How Robots Touch on the Future of Agriculture
Jun 2024