Hello! My name is Kate Lampo, and I’m a 2025 Marshall Scholar and MSc by Research student in the GOALS Lab at the University of Oxford. My current work focuses on robotic planning for aeorspce applications, and I’m particularly interested in working on autonomous systems that enable the scientific exploration of our universe.

This past spring, I graduated from Columbia University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. While there, I was Co-President of the Columbia Space Initiative—Columbia’s largest engineering club—where I worked on projects ranging from cube satellite development, to astronaut tool design, to aerospace-focused educational outreach. I also conducted research advised by Matei Ciocarlie in Columbia’s Robotic Manipulation and Mobility Lab, where I designed and built robotic grippers for various applications.

My senior year, I was honored to recieve a number of recognitions alongside the Marshall, including a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Aviation Week 20 Twenties Award, and Columbia’s Campbell Award and George Vincent Wendell Memorial Award, both of which recognize leadership, character, and dedication to the Columbia community.

Outside of my work, I am passionate about teaching and educational equity, and I dedicate much of my free time to tutoring, running, rowing, and enjoying good cups of coffee!

kate.lampo@robots.ox.ac.uk |

RECENT WORK

2025

Underactuated Astrobee Hand project page
Robotic Manipulation and Mobility Laboratory, Columbia University
Advisors: Eric Chang, Matei Ciocarlie

Made design and control updates to an underactuated tendon-driven hand built for Astrobee, the free-flying robot on the ISS. Introduced basic tactile sensing capabilities for object slip detection.

Cube Satellites: LIONESS & Lion Cub
Columbia Space Initiative, Columbia University
Advisor: David Schiminovich

Worked for multiple years as a part of a student-led team on two different cube satellites. Focused primarily on structural design and thermal analysis; contributed to multiple successful grant proposals for launch and hardware funding.

Related Publication
The Line Imaging Orbiter for Nanosatellite-Enabled Spectrographic Surveys (LIONESS)
Matthew Werneken, David Schiminovich, Ines Khouider, David McIntosh, Bruno Rergis, Nicholas de la Cruz, Michael Kolber, Manuella Kwawu, Kathryn Lampo, Wesley Maa, Naya Nwokorie, Robert Pendergrast, Yiyang Peng, Aaroosh Ramadorai, Atri Ray, Nidhi Shah, Ruimian Zheng, Meghna Sitaram, Nicole Melso, Ioannis Kymissis, Michael Massimino
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave
paper

Avalanche Airbag
MECE E3420 & MECE E3430: Senior Design, Columbia University
Instructor: Yevgeniy Yesilevskiy / Collaborators: Adriana Delagarza, Kade Jimenez, Kalen Richardson
technical report / product poster

Year-long project to improve avalanche safety by making avalanche airbags more accessible, faster to inflate, and more protective. Completed an entire design cycle, including ideation, design, manufacturing, and robust high-pressure and tensile testing. Mechanical engineering senior capstone.

2024

Teleoperated Robotic Gripper & Controller project page
Robotic Manipulation and Mobility Laboratory, Columbia University
Advisors: Joaquin Palacios, Matei Ciocarlie

Designed & built a teleoperated robotic gripper as a testing platform for the lab.

Related Publications
VibeCheck: Using Active Acoustic Tactile Sensing for Contact-Rich Manipulation
Kaidi Zhang*, Do-Gon Kim*, Eric T. Chang*, Hua-Hsuan Liang, Zhanpeng He, Kathryn Lampo, Philippe Wu, Ioannis Kymissis, Matei Ciocarlie
IROS 2025 (accepted)
arXiv

Train Robots in a JIF: Joint Inverse and Forward Dynamics with Human and Robot Demonstrations
Gagan Khandate*, Boxuan Wang*, Sarah Park*, Weizhe Ni, Joaquin Palacios, Kathryn Lampo, Philippe Wu, Rosh Ho, Eric Chang, Matei Ciocarlie
arXiv

Solar Sail Stress Analysis
Cool Worlds Lab, Columbia University
Advisor: David Kipping

Conducted stress analysis for a novel spinning solar sail design. Aided with material selection and speed determination.

Related Publication
Torqued Accelerator using Radiation from the Sun (TARS) for Interstellar Payloads
David Kipping, Kathryn Lampo
Journal of the British Interplanetary Society (accepted)
arXiv / video

Bipedal Robot project page
MECE 4611: Robotics Studio, Columbia University
Instructor: Hod Lipson
journey video

Independently designed and built a bipedal robot with the goal of maximizing walking speed.

Button-Pushing Linkage
MECE E3409: Machine Design, Columbia University
Instructor: Yevgeniy Yesilevskiy / Collaborators: Adriana Delagarza, Kade Jimenez, Kalen Richardson
final performance video

Designed and optimized a four-bar linkage to efficiently press buttons in a random sequence. Developed motor transmission, machined custom components, and designed a capable control system.

Rotor Blade CFD Simulations for NASA’s Dragonfly
NASA Ames Research Center
Advisor: Patricia Ventura Díaz

Performed rotor blade analysis for the quadcopter Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan. Used NASA's OVERFLOW CFD code to complete meshing and simulation, then compiled, visualized, and analyzed performance results from >10 different flight cases.

2023

Radio Frequency Cube Satellite Wildlife Tracking
Robotic Exploration Lab, Carnegie Mellon University
Advisor: Zac Manchester

Developed a MATLAB algorithm to process radio frequency data and track a moving tag simulating a bird. Prototyped a lightweight, long-lasting radio payload to attach to a drone for experimentation.

Related Publication
An Architecture Study for Low-Power Satellite-Based Wildlife Tracking
Fausto Vega, James Phillips, Kathryn Lampo, Robert MacCurdy, Zachary Manchester
2024 IEEE Aerospace Conference
paper / working paper / poster

Astronaut Rescue Boat
Columbia Space Initiative, Columbia University
Advisor: Mike Massimino
technical report / video pitch

Led a team of more than 20 undergraduate students to design and prototype an autonomous rescue boat for use by astronauts in emergency water landings.

2022

Lunar Gripping and Anchoring Device
Columbia Space Initiative, Columbia University
Advisor: Mike Massimino

Worked in a small team to conceptualize, design, and fabricate a fully mechanical lunar gripping and anchoring device. Selected for testing in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.