Hey there, I'm Boyu Ma ๐
I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. I am currently working with Assistant Prof. Jianfei Yang on Embodied AI at the NTU MARS Lab, exploring research topics in Robotics & AI, including robot learning, robotic dexterous grasping, dual-arm collaborative manipulation, humanoid robots, foundation model-driven robotics, etc.
Before joining NTU, I obtained my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (specialized in Robotics) at the State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, China, in October 2024, under the supervision of Prof. Zongwu Xie and co-supervision of Prof. Zainan Jiang, in the research lab led by Prof. Hong Liu (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering & Vice President of HIT & Director of Chinese State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems). During my Ph.D. studies, I also closely collaborated with Associate Profs. Yang Liu and Baoshi Cao. Earlier, I received my B.S. in Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation (specialized in Mechatronic Engineering) from Yanshan University (YSU), Qinhuangdao, China, in June 2019.
๐ If youโre interested in my research, or even me, and would like to collaborate, please feel free to contact me via EMAIL anytime. ๐ Iโm open to exploring collaboration opportunities with scholars worldwide.
๐ค Research Interests
- Embodied AI, Robotics & AI
- Foundation model-driven robotics (VLA)
- Redundancy resolution for robot manipulators
- Obstacle avoidance in robotic motion planning
- Optimization theory and applications in robotics
| - Robot learning
- Humanoid robots
- Dual-arm collaborative manipulation
- Robotic dexterous grasping
- Metaheuristic algorithms
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๐ Education & Work Experience
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
May 2025 โ Present - Postdoctoral Research Assistant
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, China
Nov 2024 โ Apr 2025 - Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Robotics)
State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, China
Sep 2019 โ Oct 2024 - Visiting Student (Summer Term)
School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), Harbin, China
Jul 2017 โ Aug 2017 - B.E. in Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation
School of Mechanical Engineering, Yanshan University (YSU), Qinhuangdao, China
Sep 2015 โ Jun 2019
๐ฃ News
2025.07.02 : ๐ฅ๐ค Suuuuuuper excited to share that my First-Author paper from my Ph.D. work has been accepted by The International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR), one of the top 3 journals in robotics! ๐ This has been a dream of mine since I started in robotics โ still canโt believe itโs finally coming true after five years in this field! ๐ฅน WE DID IT!!! ๐2025.05.16 : Excited to share that Iโm starting a new position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University (NTU)! ๐2025.04.16 : ๐ My AISY paper was recognized as a Wiley Top Viewed Article in Advanced Intelligent Systems among works published in 2023! DOUBLE Awards!! ๐๐2025.03.19 : ๐ My AISY paper was recognized as a Wiley Top Cited Article in Advanced Intelligent Systems among works published in 2023! ๐ข2025.03.03 : I received an OFFER for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore! ๐ Canโt wait to start this new journey! ๐คฉ2024.12.29 : I attended my Ph.D. graduation ceremony and received my degree! ๐2024.10.13 : I successfully passed my Ph.D. defense from 9:00am to 2:00pm. I'm officially GRADUATED !!! ๐ Canโt believe itโs finally over ๐ญ Super happy, but toooo tired.๐คฏ2024.08.20 : Passed my Ph.D. pre-defense! Excited for the next steps. ๐ช2024.08.04 : Honoured to have given an invited talk on Redundancy Resolution at Tsinghua University (International Graduate School), Shenzhen, China. ๐ค2024.05.12 : Iโm going to ICRA 2024 in Yokohama, Japan. Looking forward to seeing you there! โ๏ธ2023.12.03 : Iโm going to ROBIO 2023, and my oral presentation is on Dec 8. See you in Koh Samui, Thailand! โ๏ธ2023.07.20 : Finally completed the major experiments in Beijing for my PhD thesis โ powered through several all-nighters ๐ด with sincere thanks to Associate Prof. Yang Liu for his invaluable support!2023.07.06 : I will attend the 4th China Robotics Academic Annual Conference in Hangzhou, China. Looking forward to seeing you there! โ๏ธ2023.06.15 : ๐ฅ I was invited to serve as a Torch Bearer of the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games ๐โโ๏ธ, a great honor to represent youth and passion on the global stage! ๐
2023.05.29 : IEEE TSMC accepted my fourth SCI paper โ hard work rewarded! ๐ช2023.05.11 : All research for my PhD thesis DONE! Tears of joy! ๐ญ2023.02.22 : My third SCI paper โ a review on space robotics โ was finally accepted by AISY! ๐ From a rough idea in Dec 2020 to a complete publication, it took over two years of refining, rewriting, and not giving up. Perseverance paid off!2023.01.07 : My second Ph.D. SCI paper was accepted by EAAI โ time to celebrate! ๐2022.02.27 : Got my first review invitation from IEEE TSMC โ my debut as a journal reviewer! Feeling excited and honored! ๐ค2021.01.16 : My first SCI paper was accepted by FME โ what a big step in my research journey! ๐2019.09.01 : Officially started my Ph.D. journey โ diving into the world of robotics research! ๐คฉ