PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi

Also known as Wami Ogunbi, Wami Dosunmu-Ogunbi

Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi is a roboticist who builds walking controllers for bipedal robots, including ones that climb stairs and use a moving walkway. She graduated with honors in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2017, then earned master's degrees at the University of Michigan in 2020 and 2021 and worked with Jessy Grizzle on controllers for the Cassie biped. In 2024, she became the first Black woman to earn a PhD in Robotics at Michigan and spoke at the university-wide commencement. She spent 2024–2025 as a visiting assistant professor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology before joining Ohio Northern University in 2025. At Ohio Northern, she is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering whose research covers controls for bipedal locomotion and engineering education.

Now at
Ohio Northern University
Works
6
Citations
70
h-index
3

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2017

    Illinois mechanical engineering degree

    In 2017, she graduates with honors in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her plan is a PhD in mechanical engineering with a focus on robotics, and she works as Lead Mechanical Engineering Learning Assistant.

  2. 2020–2021

    Master's degrees at Michigan

    At the University of Michigan, she earns a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 2020 and a master's degree in robotics in 2021.

  3. 2021

    Terrain-adaptive walking for Cassie

    In 2021, she coauthors a paper with Grant Gibson, Yukai Gong and Jessy Grizzle that presents a gait controller for the Cassie 3D bipedal robot. The controller combines a model based on the Angular Momentum Linear Inverted Pendulum (ALIP) with a model predictive control foot-placement planner executed through virtual constraints, and experiments cover surfaces with varied inclinations and textures.

  4. 2023

    Stair climbing with the ALIP model

    In 2023, she is first author, with Aayushi Shrivastava, Grant Gibson and Jessy Grizzle, of a paper that lets the virtual pendulum in the ALIP model change length smoothly during a step, to stabilize a stair-climbing gait. Simulations on a 20-degree-of-freedom Cassie model show the controller reaches a periodic gait, and she presents her research at IROS 2023 in Detroit.

  5. March 2024

    A robot on a moving walkway

    In March 2024, she posts a paper with Aayushi Shrivastava and Jessy Grizzle that adds ankle torque to the ALIP model and pairs it with a model predictive controller that runs in under 500 microseconds on the Cassie biped. The paper demonstrates a bipedal robot using a moving walkway, and IROS 2024 in Abu Dhabi accepts the work for presentation.

  6. April 2024–May 2024

    A first at Michigan Robotics

    In April 2024, the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society at Yale University inducts her. She earns her PhD in robotics at the University of Michigan in 2024, the first Black woman to do so there, and her doctoral advisor, Jessy Grizzle, hoods her in May 2024. At the university-wide commencement, she is a student speaker and receives a standing ovation from an audience of over 70,000.

  7. 2024–2025

    Visiting faculty at Rose-Hulman

    For the 2024–2025 academic year, she joins the Mechanical Engineering Department at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology as a visiting assistant professor.

  8. Since 2025

    Assistant professor at Ohio Northern

    Starting in fall 2025, she holds a tenure-track assistant professor position in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Ohio Northern University. Her research focuses on controls with applications in bipedal locomotion and engineering education, and she is turning the Biped Bootcamp technical document from her PhD into an undergraduate curriculum. In June 2026, she gives a talk at the Community Building Day event at ICRA 2026 in Vienna on teaching core robotics concepts through the Biped Bootcamp.

Career

  1. Since 2025Ohio Northern UniversityAssistant professor
  2. 2024–2025Rose–Hulman Institute of TechnologyVisiting assistant professor
  3. 2017University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignLead Mechanical Engineering Learning Assistant

Education

  1. 2024University of MichiganPhD in robotics
  2. 2021University of MichiganMaster's degree in robotics
  3. 2020University of MichiganMaster's degree in mechanical engineering
  4. 2017University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignB.S. in mechanical engineering

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Terrain-Adaptive, ALIP-Based Bipedal Locomotion Controller via Model Predictive Control and Virtual Constraints2022 · IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) · 50 citations
  2. Stair Climbing Using the Angular Momentum Linear Inverted Pendulum Model and Model Predictive Control2023 · IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) · 13 citations
  3. Terrain-Aware Foot Placement for Bipedal Locomotion Combining Model Predictive Control, Virtual Constraints, and the ALIP.2021 · 6 citations
  4. Demonstrating a Robust Walking Algorithm for Underactuated Bipedal Robots in Non-flat, Non-stationary Environments2024 · IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) · 1 citations
  5. Multi-Terrain Mastery: A Comprehensive Controller for Bipedal Locomotion2026 · 0 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 21 October 2026.

  1. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  2. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorateIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorate. Across 2,116 people with both an undergraduate degree and a doctorate recorded, we trace which undergraduate schools feed which doctoral programs, how often students stay at the same school, and how paths differ by birth-country region.
  3. Universities had a net outflow of 2,068 moves in AI careersIncludes University of Michigan. Our estimates of career flows and median h-index across universities and companies in AI, including the role of joint appointments and earlier academic jobs.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. About — Wami Ogunbi wamiogunbi.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Scholarship Impact: Wami Dosunmu-Ogunbi | Mechanical Science & Engineering | Illinois mechse.illinois.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Terrain-Adaptive, ALIP-Based Bipedal Locomotion Controller via Model Predictive Control and Virtual Constraints arxiv.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Stair Climbing using the Angular Momentum Linear Inverted Pendulum Model and Model Predictive Control arxiv.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Wami Ogunbi wamiogunbi.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Demonstrating a Robust Walking Algorithm for Underactuated Bipedal Robots in Non-flat, Non-stationary Environments arxiv.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi Makes History As The First Black Woman To Obtain A Ph.D. In Robotics At The University Of Michigan - AfroTech afrotech.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  9. Robot Talk Episode 137 – Getting two-legged robots moving, with Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi - Robohub robohub.org. Checked 20 October 2026.