Jonsson School Faculty Member Honored for Mentoring Students

Dr. Robert Gregg, assistant professor in bioengineering and mechanical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, received a 2018 Provost Award for Faculty Excellence in Research Mentoring in recognition of superior support and guidance to student researchers.

Gregg received the award for undergraduate research mentoring, while the honor for mentoring graduate students went to Dr. Suresh Radhakrishnan, professor of accounting and information management in the Naveen Jindal School of Management.

“Bobby Gregg and Suresh Radhakrishnan are outstanding examples of faculty who not only have highly productive research programs but also generously share their time and expertise with students,” said Dr. Inga Musselman, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Gregg joined the UT Dallas faculty in 2013 and was appointed Fellow, Eugene McDermott Professor in April. His research on high-performance lower-body prosthetics and orthotics has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

More than 40 UT Dallas undergraduates have worked in his Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory, and he also has mentored students visiting from international universities. Several of Gregg’s undergraduates have been co-authors of peer-reviewed journal articles, an accomplishment that stands out on graduate school applications.

“I am constantly impressed by the talent of the undergraduate researchers in my lab,” Gregg said. “They often bring technical skills from hobbies or past training experiences, making them instantly productive members of my group. When they don’t already have a particular skill, they are able to pick it up very quickly with a little help from graduate student mentors, or no help at all. Pretty much every single robot in my lab was designed with significant contributions by UTD undergraduate researchers.”