David Saldaña is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Lehigh University. He leads the SwarmsLab and contributes to the Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics (AIR) Lab. His research focuses on multi-robot systems, swarm robotics, and aerial manipulation, with applications in environmental monitoring, disaster response, and construction. Saldaña’s work aims to develop resilient, adaptive robotic systems capable of operating in dynamic and unpredictable environments.

Before joining Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science in 2019, Saldaña was a postdoctoral researcher at the GRASP Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his PhD in artificial intelligence and robotics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil in 2017, and holds both M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in systems engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. His innovative research has been recognized with support from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research, including a prestigious NSF CAREER award to advance aerial robotics capable of manipulating flexible materials and adapting to shifting forces in real time.

David Saldaña
David Saldaña
Associate Professor
das819@lehigh.edu
610-758-5783
Room 319, Building C
113 Research Drive
Mountaintop Campus
Bethlehem, PA 18015

Education

PhD., Computer Science, Laboratory of Computer Vision and Robotics - VeRLab, Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2017
M.Sc., Engineering - Systems Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellin, Colombia, 2012
B.Sc., Engineering of Systems and Informatics, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellin, Colombia, 2005

Areas of Research

Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Environmental Monitoring, Resilient Robot Swarms