Robotics PhD Student investigating collective dynamics with Bayesian inference in graph networks. I also work on embedded software, open source hardware projects and science communication.
Open to opportunities in robotics, software, and electronics.
Engineering Mathematics PhD — University of Bristol, 2023–present (In Progress) Distributed Decision-Making and Adaptive Heterogeneity in Sparse Robot Swarms
Designed and deployed real-world online Bayesian machine learning systems for environmental electromagnetic surveillance aboard a multi-robot platform of six autonomous robots within ROS1/2 framework
Built a high-fidelity 2.5D Python simulator with integrated PyTorch ML modules, significantly accelerating experimental iteration and reducing dependence on physical hardware to explore parameter space
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Established Git-based collaborative workflows within the research group, enabling reproducible research and adoption of the simulator across multiple parallel projects with technical documentation for collaborators
Authored comprehensive technical documentation for the simulator API, improving accessibility and onboarding speed for collaborators
Diagnosed and resolved hardware faults on physical robot platforms, and integrated new sensor packages to extend system capabilities
Designed ROS-based data collection and telemetry pipelines to support post-hoc analysis and real-time system health monitoring. Automated simulation workloads using scheduled, containerised Docker jobs on self-managed Linux HPC clusters, including automated results figures generation pipeline and management of machine resources
Collaborated with a cross-disciplinary robotics team to extend existing platforms and integrate 3D point cloud sensing capabilities, delivered as part of an IAA-funded grant project
Presented research at international academic conferences, communicating complex technical results to both specialist and non-specialist audiences
Independently scoped and executed a multi-year research programme, managing competing priorities across hardware, software, and experimental deliverables under academic supervision
C. York, Z. R. Madin, P. O’Dowd, and E. R. Hunt, ‘Heterogeneity in Multi-Robot Environmental Monitoring for Resolving Time-Conflicting Tasks’, 2025, arXiv. doi: 10.48550/ARXIV.2512.08813.
Webb, N., Milivojevic, S., Sobhani, M., Madin, Z. R., Ward, J. C., Yusuf, S., ... & Hunt, E. R. (2024, October). Co-movement and trust development in human-robot teams. In International Conference on Social Robotics (pp. 107-120). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Sanja Milivojevic, Mehdi Sobhani, Nicola Webb, Zachary Madin, James Ward, Sagir Yusuf, Chris Baber, and Edmund R Hunt. 2024. Swift Trust in Mobile Ad Hoc Human-Robot Teams. In Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 16, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1145/3686038.3686057
Connor York, Zachary R. Madin, Paul O'Dowd, Edmund R. Hunt . (2024). "Shaping Multi-Robot Patrol Performance with Heterogeneity in Individual Learning Behavior." ICDL 2024. 1(1).
Conference proceedings talk at The 39th ACM/SIGAPP Symposium On Applied Computing, Avila, Spain
Teaching
Digital Circuit Fundamentals — University of Bristol (2024-2025)
Analysis and Design of Electrical & Electronic Systems — University of Bristol (2023-2026)
Applied Control — University of Manchester (2019-2021)
High Speed Digital & Mixed Signal Design — University of Manchester (2020-2021)
Digital Control — University of Manchester (2019-2021)
Embedded Systems Project — University of Manchester (2020-2021)
Control Systems I & II — University of Manchester (2019-2022)
Nonlinear and Adaptive Control Systems — University of Manchester (2018-2021)
Extracurricular Interests
Olympic Weightlifting I’ve been doing weightlifting for a number of years now and semi-regularly compete in competitions!
Repair Café Volunteer : Regular volunteer and electronics repairer at Sparks Repair Café or our Instagram in Bristol. I diagnose and fix consumer electronics brought in by members of the public, from amplifiers and turntables to e-bikes and game consoles; keeping devices out of landfill and sharpening practical fault-finding skills in the process.
