Maggie Wang

robotics, space exploration, photography, writing

About

I am an Aeronautics and Astronautics PhD candidate at Stanford University, advised by Prof. Mac Schwager and Prof. Jiajun Wu, and affiliated with the Multi-Robot Systems Lab and the Stanford Vision and Learning Lab. My research focuses on how structured world representations integrating geometry, semantics, and physics enable robust skill discovery, adaptation, and control in robotic manipulation and navigation. I am particularly motivated by challenges inspired by deep space exploration and am grateful to be funded by the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) Fellowship.

My mission is to build autonomous robots to expand human consciousness, creativity, and connection. I am passionate about the interdisciplinary nature of robotics—combining 3D perception and representation, learning-based systems, and physics-based modeling to advance robotic systems.

Before beginning my PhD, I worked on autonomous drones at Skydio after graduating from Harvard with a B.A. in Physics and S.M. in Computer Science. During my undergrad, I conducted research on robust pose estimation from 3D keypoints in the Robot Locomotion Group at MIT with Prof. Russ Tedrake.

Outside of research, I stay active with running, hiking, and cycling; explore art through oil and watercolor painting, photography, and writing; and deepen my spiritual practices through yoga, meditation, and making (and enjoying) good food. Along with some friends, I also co-produce The Overview, a newsletter, podcast, and resource hub for aspiring aerospace engineers and students.