Professor Murphey's research focuses on computational methods in dynamics and control, with applications in neuroscience, health science, robotics, and automation. The group focuses on computational models of embedded control, biomechanical simulation, dynamic exploration, and hybrid control. The mathematical approaches used by the group lead to many orders of magnitude improvement in computational efficiency for reliable real-time implementation. Applications include assistive exoskeleton control, stabilization of energy networks, bio-inspired active sensing, entertainment robots, robotic exploration, and software-enabled stroke rehabilitation.
In the Interactive and Emergent Autonomy Lab, our research focuses on computational methods in data-driven control, information theory in physical systems, and embodied intelligence. We investigate how both autonomous systems and biological systems interact with their environments (and, in some cases, with each other) to learn and improve their behaviors. This work often involves mathematical modeling, development of new mathematical tools, algorithmic implementation and programming, and experimentation.
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA Ph.D. in Control and Dynamical Systems, 2002 Thesis: Control of Multiple Model Systems
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ B.S. in Mathematics, summa cum laude, 1997
Professor Murphey has developed the ME 314 Machine Dynamics course, focusing on the application of variational analysis to simulation anddesign of mechanisms. He has additionally developed ME 454, anintroduction to numerical methods in optimal control. In 2013 he taught an online version of one of the Engineering Analysis courses as a Coursera Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) (more information can be found at Coursera class Everything is the Same: Modeling Engineered Systems). In all these courses, Professor Murphey focuses on project-based learning. He has been a featured speaker at the National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering Education Workshop (see his blog here).
Katie's paper Ergodicity reveals assistance and learning from physical human-robot interaction was published in Science Robotics in April 2019. In the paper, information theoretic principles were applied to the investigation of physical human-robot interaction.
Ahalya won third place in the 2017 IEEE Control Systems Society Video Clip Contest with her video Autonomous Robot Drawing: From Distribution to Actions using Feedback.
CBS Chicago
Professor Murphey was interviewed as part of a CBS story on robots improving productivity.
Todd Murphey named Director of Transformative Research Murphey will focus on expanding opportunities for Northwestern faculty to conduct federally funded and secure research initiatives on campus and in collaboration with external partners such as national laboratories. Feb 25, 2025
NSF Profiles Recent Work in Prof. Todd Murphey's Lab Today, the National Science Foundation released a new article and corresponding video in the Science Nation online magazine that focuses on recent work in Prof. Todd Murphey's lab. Apr 10, 2017
NxR's MacIver, Mugan, and Murphey publish discovery that vision led our fish-like ancestors to land, not limbs In a new PNAS study, NxR's Malcolm MacIver, Ugurcan Mugan, and Todd Murphey show that eyes greatly increased in size just prior to vertebrates coming out of water to live on land, nearly 400 million years ago. The study has implications both for how and why our vertebrate ancestors came on to land, as well as for the evolution of complex cognitive abilities. Mar 7, 2017
