Elle Miller

Hi there! I’m Elle, a 2nd year PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.

I’m interested in generalisable methods for improving the performance of robotic reinforcement learning agents in contact-rich manipulation, with a focus on tactile sensing. I’m planning on applying my research to a wide range of scenarios, from dexterous manipulation to humanoid physical assistance in healthcare.

I am fortunate to have an awesome PhD supervision team: Prof. Sethu Vijayakumar (UoE), Associate Prof. Oisin Mac Aodha (UoE), Dr. David Abel (UoE, DeepMind), and Associate Prof. Rika Antonova (University of Cambridge).

Prior to my doctorate I worked for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the DLR Institute for Mechatronics and Robotics. At NASA I researched semantic perception for robotic autonomy in hazardous environments, while at DLR I worked improving user agency in grasping on the inspiring assistive robotics system EDAN. Along the way I also helped create a mobile humanoid robot called EVA.

I graduated with First Class Honours in a BEng (Mechatronic (Space)) & BSc (Advanced Physics) from the University of Sydney in 2023. As an undergraduate, I undertook several internships in parallel with my studies, working with the Max Planck Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cochlear, Australian National University, and Saber Astronautics.

On a personal note, I enjoy playing and making music, film photography, lindy hop, cinema, and living in different cities. Feel free to get in touch 💌