Nana Obayashi
In January 2024, during the Moonshot Workshop on AI and Robotics, we had the pleasure of meeting Nana Obayashi, a Ph.D. student in robotics at the CREATE Lab, EPFL. She has been in Switzerland since 2021 and will be staying at least until 2025.
Get to know Nana!
Nana’s research focuses on soft robotics. She specializes in designing bio-inspired robots that leverage their morphology (shape and structure) to exhibit intelligent behaviors. Lately, she has been exploring how methods like growth can enhance the complexity of soft robot behaviors and interactions. For her bachelor's and master's degrees, she studied aerospace engineering, specializing in aircraft design and aerodynamics. This background allows her to apply insights from fluid dynamics to evaluate soft robot performance in various fluid environments, including air and water. What excites Nana about her Ph.D. is the opportunity to build her own robots and gain hands-on experimental experience, a unique aspect she did not have in her previous academic pursuits.
Switzerland's renowned engineering and robotics facilities, along with its high quality of living and breathtaking natural surroundings, were key factors motivating her decision to study in Switzerland. On top of this, the numerous positive interactions with her current advisor, Prof. Josie Hughes, who was establishing her new lab at EPFL, contributed to a refreshing and exciting anticipation for her Ph.D. journey.
She is grateful for being the beneficiary of two sources of funding. One is the EPFLglobaLeaders doctoral fellowship, which contributes to her salary. The other one is the NCCR Robotics Award for Career Development, which helped her do a research exchange at the University of Cambridge under Prof. Fumiya Iida and attend some workshops. (Links below)
She currently lives in Lausanne, where she finds the mountain and lake views stunning. She enjoys the overall atmosphere and vibe of the city.
Her top three recommendations for discovering Switzerland are hiking in Mürren, tasting the Bourru wine in the Romandy region, and boat rides in Lake Léman.
On the culinary side, she has become very fond of filet de perche, a dish made of a type of fish from the lake that is often sautéed with a lemony, buttery sauce. Being Japanese, she has grown up eating plenty of fish-based dishes, but now, whenever she is back in Japan, she really misses the taste of filet de perche.
During her time in Switzerland, she has started jogging. She says that before coming to Switzerland, she was an extremely weak runner. She spent a weekend in Sarnen with friends and participated in an organized 10-kilometer running event around Lake Sarnen. It was a beautiful, sunny day surrounded by mountains and pastures. The event was very local, with lots of supporters along the track, providing the runners with water and encouragement to finish their race.
One of the most special Swiss experiences she has had to this date was attending the Turnverein in the Swiss-German region, which is a gymnastics sports event. She went there with her friends, mainly for the party afterwards. She recalls being probably one of the only tourists there, Swiss schlager music was playing, and they danced on top of rows of tables along with hundreds of others. The atmosphere of that experience left a huge impression on her!
In the future, Nana aims to continue as a researcher in soft robotics. In five years’ time, she would love to have started her own laboratory. She is still open to any location but is extremely fond of both Switzerland and the U.S., where she has spent a considerable amount of time. She enjoys supervising students and meeting new people through conferences and workshops.
Thank you, dear Nana, for sharing your exciting story with us. STO Tokyo wishes you all the best in your future endeavors!
