> Hello, I'm

Aditya Kothari

Robotics & Autonomy Researcher

Building autonomous systems that perceive, reason, and act

Stanford University Multi-Robot Systems Lab  ·  MS AeroAstro  ·  GPA 4.0
NSF Scholar '25 KC Mahindra Scholar '25 Narotam Sekhsaria Fellow '25
Aditya Kothari
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Stanford MSL Research Language-guided autonomy · 3D Gaussian Splats
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3 National Fellowships NSF · KC Mahindra · Narotam Sekhsaria
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Published & Patented Elsevier (JIF 7.9) · 2 utility patents
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8 Technical Projects Autonomous vehicles · robot learning · space nav

01. Research

I'm a graduate student at Stanford University pursuing an MS in Aeronautics & Astronautics, supported by three national fellowships. My research at the Stanford Multi-Robot Systems Lab (MSL) focuses on language-steered autonomy and semantic feature extraction — building systems that can follow complex natural language navigation tasks through rich, semantically-aware world representations. Before Stanford, I graduated top of my class from VIT with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, led a 25-member university robotics team deploying 7 UAVs and robots, and held engineering roles at Boeing and Tata Motors.

Current Research — Stanford MSL ● Active — Jan 2026

Semantic Navigation via 3D Gaussian Splats

Stanford Multi-Robot Systems Lab  ·  Advisor: Prof. Mac Schwager

Developing a semantic feature extraction layer for autonomous navigation using egocentric vision data from 3D Gaussian Splats (3D-GS). Designing a model that can autonomously follow complex language-guided navigation tasks through a novel sparse-feature world representation trained in a 3D-GS simulation environment, targeting robust sim-to-real transfer for deployment on physical robot platforms.

3D Gaussian Splats Language-Guided Navigation Egocentric Vision Semantic Feature Extraction Sim-to-Real Transfer

Broader Research Interests

Robot Learning State Estimation Vision-Language Models Autonomous Navigation Multi-Robot Systems Hierarchical Planning Perception for Autonomy
4.0 GPA at Stanford
7+ Robots Deployed
4 Pubs & Patents
3 National Fellowships

02. Projects

Aerospace · UAV Nov 2023

Autonomous E-VTOL for Urban Air Mobility

1:10 scale eVTOL prototype with autonomous waypoint navigation and obstacle avoidance — Rank 1 at GKN Aerospace.

  • Aerodynamic conceptual design and flight systems integration for a 1:10 scale eVTOL prototype
  • Autonomous waypoint navigation and obstacle avoidance via MAVSDK-Python on Pixhawk; 14 km operational range
Key Outcome: Rank 1 + INR 300,000 prize at GKN Aerospace Sustainable Aviation Challenge.
MAVSDKPixhawkUAVeVTOLMAVSDK-Python
↗ Relevant to ArcherWiskJobyZipline
Aircraft Design Nov 2023

AIAA Compact STOL Air Ambulance Aircraft

Design-build-fly of a compact STOL aircraft with a novel oblique wing mechanism enabling 10-second emergency deployment.

  • Led full design-build-fly cycle as team leader and pilot — 2 prototypes from conceptual design to flight test
  • Innovated a novel oblique wing mechanism enabling compact hangar storage in constrained spaces
  • 10-second turnaround time from landed to ready-for-takeoff for rapid emergency deployment
Key Outcome: Full design-build-fly cycle completed; oblique wing concept advanced to AIAA design review.
AIAAAerodynamicsPrototypingFlight Testing
↗ Relevant to ArcherWiskAirbusBoeing
Aviation Safety Jan 2024

Dynamic Safety Braking System — AIRBUS Challenge

Physics-based braking algorithm using ROM and computer vision to assist pilots on inclined runways.

  • Algorithm integrating flight and braking mechanics via Reduced Order Modeling (ROM) for real-time performance prediction
  • Runway slope estimation via OpenCV interfaced with the Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS)
Key Outcome: Rank 3 nationally — Airbus National Flight Challenge for aviation safety.
OpenCVROMAFCSFlight Systems
↗ Relevant to AirbusBoeingHoneywellGKN

03. Experience

Engineering Intern — Software Tools

Boeing May 2024 – Jul 2024 Chennai, India
  • Developed 3 Sidewalls Database Automation tools for Supplier Transition, reducing ARM/IRM creation time by 30%.
  • Conducted Value Stream Mapping for 787 Payloads with 14 Kaizen activities — 7.8% cycle time reduction.

Vehicle Systems Engineering Intern

Tata Motors Ltd. Sep 2023 – Dec 2023 Pune, India
  • Designed and validated 2 fully aluminum alloy chassis for electric ILCV trucks — up to 35% weight reduction.
  • Spearheaded material selection, weldability, formability, design, assembly and prototype validation.
  • Project selected for prototyping and advanced to New Product Development at Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles.

Team Captain & Technical Lead

Team Veloce — University UAV & Robotics Team Apr 2022 – May 2024 Vellore, India
  • Directed a 25-member engineering team to develop and deploy a fleet of 7 UAVs and ground robots.
  • Oversaw full software lifecycle from algorithm development to on-robot deployment and field testing.
  • Implemented rigorous system integration testing ensuring reliability across multiple robotic platforms.

04. Education

Stanford University

MS in Aeronautics & Astronautics

GPA: 4.0 / 4.0

Sep 2025 – Mar 2027

Robot Autonomy (Multi-Robot Systems) · State Estimation · Model Order Reduction

NSF Scholar '25 KC Mahindra Scholar '25 Narotam Sekhsaria Fellow '25 JITO JEAP Scholar '25

Vellore Institute of Technology

BS in Mechanical Engineering

GPA: 4.0 / 4.0

Jul 2021 – Jul 2025

Merit Scholarship '22–'25 Student Achiever '24 & '25

05. Skills

Robotics & Autonomy

ROS2C++PythonGazeboSLAM Path Planning (A*, DWA)Human-Robot Collaboration

Control & Learning

Reinforcement LearningMPCPID Extended Kalman FilterHuman-Robot Interaction

Tools & Infrastructure

LinuxGitDockerPyBullet OpenCVMATLABHPCDeep Learning

Simulation & Domain

CFD (Ansys Fluent)FEAPhysics-Informed ML Sensor Fusion (LiDAR/Vision)SOLIDWORKSCATIA Systems EngineeringFlight Sciences

06. Publications & Patents

Journal Publications

Journal

Grain Boundary and Micro-Texture Evolution in GRCop Alloys

Results in Engineering — Elsevier · Impact Factor 7.9

Experimental study of microstructural evolution mechanisms in high-performance GRCop copper alloys for aerospace propulsion applications under thermomechanical deformation.

Feb 2025
Journal

Aerodynamic Tail Configuration Study

Peer-Reviewed Journal · 2025

Comparative aerodynamic assessment and performance analysis of tail configurations for fixed-wing aircraft design.

2025

Patents

Patent

Wear Analysis Equipment for Marine Applications

Utility Patent · No. 202541056455

Novel instrumentation for in-situ wear analysis of mechanical components in marine vessel environments.

Jun 2025
Patent

Electronic Spherical Steam Trap

Patent · No. 427140-001

Electronic control mechanism for improved steam trap efficiency and reliability in industrial process systems.

Oct 2024

07. Achievements

Fellowships & Scholarships

NS

Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation Fellow

One of India's most prestigious postgraduate fellowships — awarded to exceptional students pursuing graduate studies at top global universities

Aug 2025
KCM

KC Mahindra Scholar

National fellowship from the KC Mahindra Education Trust for outstanding students pursuing higher education at top universities abroad

Jul 2025
JITO

JITO JEAP Scholar

Jain International Trade Organization fellowship for exceptional postgraduate students studying at leading international institutions

Jun 2025

Competition Wins

1st

GKN Aerospace Sustainable Aviation Challenge

National competition — INR 300,000 (≈$3,600) prize for autonomous eVTOL systems integration

Nov 2023
1st

Forbes Marshall Technical Challenge

Ranked 1st among 200+ participants nationwide for technical innovation

Mar 2024
2nd

Honeywell Aerospace Ideathon

Runner-up nationally — INR 50,000 prize for aerospace systems innovation

Mar 2023
3rd

AIRBUS National Flight Challenge

Top 3 nationally for dynamic braking safety system for inclined runway operations

Feb 2024

Get In Touch

Seeking a summer 2026 research internship in robotics, autonomous systems, or AI — open to industry R&D labs and academic research positions.

If you're working on hard problems in autonomy, language-guided robotics, or robot learning — let's talk.