Robotics · Perception · Autonomy
Yewei
Huang
Autonomous navigation in
extreme environments.
How can robots efficiently and reliably explore harsh environments?
Postdoctoral researcherComputer Science · Dartmouth College
01 / ABOUT
My research connects autonomous perception, mapping, and decision-making with the challenges of deploying real robots.
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Reality and Robotics Lab at Dartmouth College, advised by Prof. Alberto Quattrini Li. I received my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, advised by Prof. Brendan Englot. My training began at Tongji University in Shanghai, where I earned a master’s degree in Surveying Engineering and a bachelor’s degree in Geo-Information Systems. I was advised by Prof. Tiantian Fen and Prof. Junqiao Zhao.
My goal is to enable autonomous robots to support underwater infrastructure maintenance and monitor offshore ecosystems. My interest in marine environments also comes with a love of sharks and an ongoing collaboration with my longtime collaborator, Yicheng (Bear) Huang, an earth scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
02 / RESEARCH
Observe & Decide & Repeat
How can robots work effectively under uncertainty and limited communication?
02 / Autonomous exploration
VRVM: Faster
uncertainty evaluation.
Variable-resolution virtual maps guide surface vehicles through uneven offshore environments while accounting for uncertainty.
Preprint · Under review
04 / Multi-robot perception
SGM-SLAM: Direct
scene graph matching.
Scene graph matching for data-efficient distributed SLAM, robust to viewpoint changes and occlusions.
SSRR 2026
03 / IN THE FIELD
My Robot Colleagues
I’m fortunate to work with these robots.
Daughter Boat
Blue Robotics BlueBoat
Blue Robotics BlueROV2
Clearpath Jackal
Unitree Go2
More colleagues
04 / SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Recent Work
- 2026
SVIn+: Multi-Modal Framework for Robust Underwater State Estimation using 3D Sonar, Visual-Inertial, Water-Pressure, and DVL
C. Burgul, X. Zhao, Y. Huang, M. Chatzispyrou, A. Quattrini Li, and I. Rekleitis
IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems - 2026
Underwater Dense Mapping with the First Compact 3D Sonar
C. Burgul, Y. Huang, M. Chatzispyrou, I. Rekleitis, A. Quattrini Li, and M. Xanthidis
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation - 2025
DRACo-SLAM2: Distributed Robust Acoustic Communication-efficient SLAM for Imaging Sonar Equipped Underwater Robot Teams with Object Graph Matching
Y. Huang, J. McConnell, X. Lin, and B. Englot
IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems - 2024
Multi-Robot Autonomous Exploration and Mapping Under Localization Uncertainty with Expectation-Maximization
Y. Huang, X. Lin, and B. Englot
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
05 / TALKS
Talks & Presentations
Seminars, invited talks, and classroom presentations.
Virginia Tech · AOE 4984 Robot Perception
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM): From Robot Localization to Underwater Mapping
Slides (PDF)Dartmouth College · COSC 81/281 Principles of Robot Design and Programming
Machine Learning for Visual SLAM from Scene Representation Perspective
Slides (PDF)Stevens Institute of Technology · ME 656 Autonomous Navigation for Mobile Robots
Machine Learning for Visual SLAM from Scene Representation Perspective
University of Connecticut · Environmental Engineering Seminar
Reliable Navigation and Mapping in Uncertain Coastal Waters: Towards Trustworthy Marine Autonomy
Slides (PDF)University College London · Invited talk (virtual)
Distributed Robust Acoustic Communication-efficient SLAM for Imaging Sonar Equipped Underwater Robot Teams with Object Graph Matching
Slides (PDF)Maryland Robotics Center · Future Leaders in Robotics and AI Seminar
Data Efficient Localization and Mapping for Distributed Multi-Robot Teams in the Field
Slides (PDF)
06 / RECOGNITION
Awards & Honors
- 2026
Honorable Mention, inaugural IEEE RAS Women in Engineering Best PhD Award in Robotics and Automation
- 2025
Maryland Robotics Center: Future Leaders in Robotics and AI
- 2024–25
Paul Kaplan Award for Distinguished Doctoral Work upon Graduation
- 2024–25
Stevens Excellence Doctoral Fellowship
- 2019–20
Stevens Provost Doctoral Fellowship
Get in touch
Let’s talk about robots
For research conversations and collaboration.