Jenny Leestma, PhD
@jenniferleestma.bsky.social
Postdoc @ Harvard 🦿🧠🦾
Neural interfaces + wearable robotics
PhD Robotics from GeorgiaTech
jenniferleestma.com
Neural interfaces + wearable robotics
PhD Robotics from GeorgiaTech
jenniferleestma.com
Very excited about our new pre-print on an open-source package that I developed with some of my GT labmates!
Epically Powerful (EP) is a modular mechatronics infrastructure and open-source software package for building and operating wearable and general robotic systems.
arxiv.org/abs/2511.05033
Epically Powerful (EP) is a modular mechatronics infrastructure and open-source software package for building and operating wearable and general robotic systems.
arxiv.org/abs/2511.05033
November 11, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Very excited about our new pre-print on an open-source package that I developed with some of my GT labmates!
Epically Powerful (EP) is a modular mechatronics infrastructure and open-source software package for building and operating wearable and general robotic systems.
arxiv.org/abs/2511.05033
Epically Powerful (EP) is a modular mechatronics infrastructure and open-source software package for building and operating wearable and general robotic systems.
arxiv.org/abs/2511.05033
Excited to be in DC for my first Neural Interfaces meeting! Really looking forward to the program this week.
June 12, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Excited to be in DC for my first Neural Interfaces meeting! Really looking forward to the program this week.
Thrilled to receive the Harvard Mind Brain Behavior Postdoc Fellowship! This will support my work surgically reconstructing peripheral neuromuscular physiology to bridge human and robotic control.
Excited to continue this work with my advisor Dr. Shriya Srinivasan and co-mentor Dr. Matthew Carty.
Excited to continue this work with my advisor Dr. Shriya Srinivasan and co-mentor Dr. Matthew Carty.
June 3, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Thrilled to receive the Harvard Mind Brain Behavior Postdoc Fellowship! This will support my work surgically reconstructing peripheral neuromuscular physiology to bridge human and robotic control.
Excited to continue this work with my advisor Dr. Shriya Srinivasan and co-mentor Dr. Matthew Carty.
Excited to continue this work with my advisor Dr. Shriya Srinivasan and co-mentor Dr. Matthew Carty.
Fantastic to hear Dr. Edward Chang from Berkeley discuss their work in restoring speech with neuroprostheses using high-density speech/motor cortical decoding!
March 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Fantastic to hear Dr. Edward Chang from Berkeley discuss their work in restoring speech with neuroprostheses using high-density speech/motor cortical decoding!
It was wonderful to have Jim Ewing visit our group! Jim was the first person to receive the Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) procedure. We got to chat with him about research participation, rehab, wearable tech, and innovation.
Read more: www.brighamandwomensfaulkner.org/about-bwfh/n...
Read more: www.brighamandwomensfaulkner.org/about-bwfh/n...
March 8, 2025 at 7:57 PM
It was wonderful to have Jim Ewing visit our group! Jim was the first person to receive the Agonist-Antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) procedure. We got to chat with him about research participation, rehab, wearable tech, and innovation.
Read more: www.brighamandwomensfaulkner.org/about-bwfh/n...
Read more: www.brighamandwomensfaulkner.org/about-bwfh/n...
Just submitted my first research proposal from 35,000 feet. Feels like an academic milestone?
Are there bonus points for hitting submit 30 seconds before the “put away your laptops” announcement?
Are there bonus points for hitting submit 30 seconds before the “put away your laptops” announcement?
March 3, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Just submitted my first research proposal from 35,000 feet. Feels like an academic milestone?
Are there bonus points for hitting submit 30 seconds before the “put away your laptops” announcement?
Are there bonus points for hitting submit 30 seconds before the “put away your laptops” announcement?
Our new paper is out! This was a fun collaboration across labs at Georgia Tech, led by Dr. Felicia Davenport.
Title: Electromyography-informed estimates of joint contact forces within the lower back and knee joints during a diverse set of industry-relevant manual lifting tasks
shorturl.at/tdl3B
Title: Electromyography-informed estimates of joint contact forces within the lower back and knee joints during a diverse set of industry-relevant manual lifting tasks
shorturl.at/tdl3B
February 20, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Our new paper is out! This was a fun collaboration across labs at Georgia Tech, led by Dr. Felicia Davenport.
Title: Electromyography-informed estimates of joint contact forces within the lower back and knee joints during a diverse set of industry-relevant manual lifting tasks
shorturl.at/tdl3B
Title: Electromyography-informed estimates of joint contact forces within the lower back and knee joints during a diverse set of industry-relevant manual lifting tasks
shorturl.at/tdl3B
Had a fantastic visit at UMass Lowell to give the Mechanical Engineering Grad Research Seminar! Loved seeing the incredible robotics and biomechanics research happening there—thanks to everyone for the great discussions and for showing me around!
February 13, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Had a fantastic visit at UMass Lowell to give the Mechanical Engineering Grad Research Seminar! Loved seeing the incredible robotics and biomechanics research happening there—thanks to everyone for the great discussions and for showing me around!
This was always was one of my favorite projects happening in my PhD lab. A hip exoskeleton provides force-feedback/haptic guidance to help the user navigate through obstacle-rich environments. Check out this new paper from Carlos Carrasquillo and team!
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/108...
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/108...
January 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
This was always was one of my favorite projects happening in my PhD lab. A hip exoskeleton provides force-feedback/haptic guidance to help the user navigate through obstacle-rich environments. Check out this new paper from Carlos Carrasquillo and team!
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/108...
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/108...
It’s been great to attend talks at the NSF Workshop on Reinforcement Learning, including a particularly awesome keynote this morning from Andy Barto on the history of RL!
January 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
It’s been great to attend talks at the NSF Workshop on Reinforcement Learning, including a particularly awesome keynote this morning from Andy Barto on the history of RL!
Hello to all the new Bluesky-ers!
I’m a postdoc at Harvard working to improve neural interfaces using implantable devices and neurosurgical reconstruction. I wrapped up my PhD in Robotics earlier this year, where I worked on augmenting human locomotor balance using intelligent wearable robots.
I’m a postdoc at Harvard working to improve neural interfaces using implantable devices and neurosurgical reconstruction. I wrapped up my PhD in Robotics earlier this year, where I worked on augmenting human locomotor balance using intelligent wearable robots.
November 21, 2024 at 12:22 AM
Hello to all the new Bluesky-ers!
I’m a postdoc at Harvard working to improve neural interfaces using implantable devices and neurosurgical reconstruction. I wrapped up my PhD in Robotics earlier this year, where I worked on augmenting human locomotor balance using intelligent wearable robots.
I’m a postdoc at Harvard working to improve neural interfaces using implantable devices and neurosurgical reconstruction. I wrapped up my PhD in Robotics earlier this year, where I worked on augmenting human locomotor balance using intelligent wearable robots.
Awesome event today at Harvard SEAS - “Robotics in Age & Assistive Tech”. It was great to hear from and connect with a lot of the startups in the Boston wearable tech ecosystem!
Thanks to the many organizers - MassRobotics, Harvard Grid, Harvard Move Lab, and Medtronic.
Thanks to the many organizers - MassRobotics, Harvard Grid, Harvard Move Lab, and Medtronic.
November 19, 2024 at 1:14 AM
Awesome event today at Harvard SEAS - “Robotics in Age & Assistive Tech”. It was great to hear from and connect with a lot of the startups in the Boston wearable tech ecosystem!
Thanks to the many organizers - MassRobotics, Harvard Grid, Harvard Move Lab, and Medtronic.
Thanks to the many organizers - MassRobotics, Harvard Grid, Harvard Move Lab, and Medtronic.
Here, we present our lightweight, autonomous, and powered 2DOF hip exoskeleton design as well as preliminary validation of the device's ability to modulate step placement during steady state and perturbed walking.
March 26, 2024 at 12:49 AM
Here, we present our lightweight, autonomous, and powered 2DOF hip exoskeleton design as well as preliminary validation of the device's ability to modulate step placement during steady state and perturbed walking.
A welcome, though very dangerous, upgrade to the office coffee setup
February 21, 2024 at 6:57 PM
A welcome, though very dangerous, upgrade to the office coffee setup
I geek out every time someone says they don’t understand PID control.
Coding it up, playing with gains, and physically interacting with it makes the lightbulb go off every time! Also making the parallel to the impedance/mechanical equivalent never fails. Always time well spent!
Coding it up, playing with gains, and physically interacting with it makes the lightbulb go off every time! Also making the parallel to the impedance/mechanical equivalent never fails. Always time well spent!
December 5, 2023 at 10:17 PM
I geek out every time someone says they don’t understand PID control.
Coding it up, playing with gains, and physically interacting with it makes the lightbulb go off every time! Also making the parallel to the impedance/mechanical equivalent never fails. Always time well spent!
Coding it up, playing with gains, and physically interacting with it makes the lightbulb go off every time! Also making the parallel to the impedance/mechanical equivalent never fails. Always time well spent!
I’ve had a lot of fun putting together some resources lists over the last few years - spanning introductory, technical, jobs/opportunities, and academic.
Have been meaning to share for a while! More info in thread.
All up on my personal website: jenniferleestma.com
Have been meaning to share for a while! More info in thread.
All up on my personal website: jenniferleestma.com
November 1, 2023 at 2:30 AM
I’ve had a lot of fun putting together some resources lists over the last few years - spanning introductory, technical, jobs/opportunities, and academic.
Have been meaning to share for a while! More info in thread.
All up on my personal website: jenniferleestma.com
Have been meaning to share for a while! More info in thread.
All up on my personal website: jenniferleestma.com
Who needs meditation when you can solder and blast music for a few hours?
September 28, 2023 at 12:34 AM
Who needs meditation when you can solder and blast music for a few hours?
Well, now I have a new go-to break from research - getting to revive an old hobby thanks to a pottery studio opening up a 3 minute walk away from my lab! Good call, Georgia Tech!
September 1, 2023 at 11:45 PM
Well, now I have a new go-to break from research - getting to revive an old hobby thanks to a pottery studio opening up a 3 minute walk away from my lab! Good call, Georgia Tech!
Incredible second day at NextProf Nexus! I’ve learned a ton about applying to and starting a faculty career and have had a blast meeting other aspiring academics.
Huge thanks to engineering faculty at Berkeley, Michigan, and Georgia Tech for organizing such a helpful and comprehensive event.
Huge thanks to engineering faculty at Berkeley, Michigan, and Georgia Tech for organizing such a helpful and comprehensive event.
August 31, 2023 at 3:07 AM
Incredible second day at NextProf Nexus! I’ve learned a ton about applying to and starting a faculty career and have had a blast meeting other aspiring academics.
Huge thanks to engineering faculty at Berkeley, Michigan, and Georgia Tech for organizing such a helpful and comprehensive event.
Huge thanks to engineering faculty at Berkeley, Michigan, and Georgia Tech for organizing such a helpful and comprehensive event.
Hello Bluesky! I’m a Robotics PhD Candidate at Georgia Tech currently focused on developing intelligent robotic exoskeletons for balance augmentation during locomotion. Broadly, I like learning about how humans navigate dynamic environments and what augmentation should look like in these contexts.
August 27, 2023 at 10:43 PM
Hello Bluesky! I’m a Robotics PhD Candidate at Georgia Tech currently focused on developing intelligent robotic exoskeletons for balance augmentation during locomotion. Broadly, I like learning about how humans navigate dynamic environments and what augmentation should look like in these contexts.