Xiaomin Lin

Xiaomin Lin

Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland

🔥 About Me

I am Xiaomin Lin, a recent graduated Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland advised by Prof. Yiannis Aloimonos. My research lies at the intersection of robotics and perception, with a focus on enhancing autonomous underwater systems. I work within a perception lab to bring advanced perceptual capabilities to robots, enabling them to perform complex tasks in dynamic oceanic environments. I view robotics and perception as deeply interwoven: robots need to move to perceive their surroundings effectively, and active perception, in turn, aids them in executing tasks. Specifically, I develop frameworks for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to detect and map marine objects like oyster beds and coral reefs using both real and synthetic data. I leverage simulation-based techniques, data-driven decision-making, and multi-modal sensor integration to create robust systems that thrive in challenging conditions. My ultimate goal is to advance autonomous systems that support conservation, research, and sustainable marine ecosystem management.

🤝 Collaboration

I thrive in collaborative and interdisciplinary research environments, working with experts across fields to broaden the impact of my work. My collaborations include leaders in marine robotics, such as Prof. Shahriar Negahdaripour (Miami University), Prof. Ioannis Rekleitis (University of South Carolina), Prof. Herbert Tanner (University of Delaware), and Prof. Jane Shine (University of Florida).

I have had a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with experts from various fields worldwide, such as biologist Dr. Isla Duporge (Princeton), AI researcher Prof. Olga Isupova (University of Bath), computer scientist Prof. Michail G. Lagoudakis (Technical University of Crete), computer scientist Prof. Markus Vincze (Technical University Wien (TUW)), robotics researcher, Prof Nitin Sanket(Worcester Polytechnic Institute), robotics Prof Chahat Deep Singh(University of Colorado, Boulder), and biological and agricultural researcher Prof. Dongyi Wang (University of Arkansas)

I also have had the honor to work with experts in Maryland, such as ecophysiologist Prof. Matthew Gray (University of Maryland Center for Environment Science (UMCES)), aquaculture specialist Mr. Don Webster (UMCES), mechanical engineer and researcher Prof. Nikhil Chopra (University of Maryland), roboticist Prof. Pratap Tokekar (University of Maryland), and ecologist Dr. Jason E. Spires (NOAA Cooperative Oxford Laboratory).

For more details, see my CV.

🚀🚀🚀 I will be on the academic job market for the 2024-2025 cycle. If you are aware of any openings for Tenure-Track Assistant Professor positions, I would appreciate any information or referrals! 🚀🚀🚀

My application package: Research Statement pdf, Teaching Statement pdf, DEI Statement pdf

🔥 News

  • 2024.10: 🎉 Received the award for the best control framework in autonomous navigation and control at the IROS workshop, Abu Dhabi.
  • 2023.05: 🏆 Best Poster Award at the Maryland Robotics Center Research Symposium.

📝 Selected Publications

For full publications: Go to Full Publications

  • X. Lin, et al. “ViewActive : Active viewpoint optimization from a single image”, ICRA 2025Link
  • X. Lin, et al. “MARVIS: Motion & Geometry Aware Real and Virtual Image Segmentation,” IROS 2024. Link
  • X. Lin, et al. “Uivnav: Underwater information-driven vision-based navigation via imitation learning,” ICRA 2024. Link
  • X. Lin, et al. “Oysternet: Enhanced oyster detection using simulation,” ICRA 2023. Link

🎖 Honors and Awards

  • 2024.10 Best Control Framework for Autonomous Navigation, IROS Workshop, Abu Dhabi
  • 2023.05 Best Poster Award, Maryland Robotics Center Research Symposium

📖 Educations

  • University of Maryland, College Park
    Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (2018 - 2024)
    Thesis: “Towards Efficient Oceanic Robot Learning with Simulation”
    Advisor: Yiannis Aloimonos

  • University of Maryland, College Park
    M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (2015 - 2018)

  • University of Dayton & NJUST
    B.S. in Electrical Engineering (Dual Degree, 2011 - 2015)
    Magna Cum Laude

💬 Invited Talks

  • 2022.11: “Where is my Oyster,” S3AM webinar.
  • 2023.05: Presentation at the Maryland Robotics Center Research Symposium.

💻 Professional Experience

  • Machine Learning Engineer, Budy.bot
    Palo Alto, CA (May 2024 - July 2024)
    Developed LLMs for enterprise software using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and fine-tuned LLama3 for SaaS tasks.

  • Graduate Research Assistant, Perception and Robotics Group, University of Maryland
    College Park, MD (Sept 2019 - Dec 2024)
    Developed frameworks for underwater robotic systems in collaboration with Maryland Robotics Center.

  • Computer Vision Software Engineer, Distat Co. Ltd
    Kennett Square, PA (Jan 2021 - Sept 2021)
    Led an AFRL STTR project for industrial component counting algorithms with 97% accuracy.

👩‍🏫 Teaching Experience

  • CMSC 426: Computer Vision (Fall 2020) - Teaching Assistant
  • ENEE350: Computer Organization (2019-2021) - Teaching Assistant
  • ENEE408I: Capstone Design Project (2018-2019) - Teaching Assistant