Download PDF

About

I am a Ph.D. student in Computer Science with an interdisciplinary background spanning robotics, machine learning, and electrical engineering. My research focuses on intrinsic robot learning in multimodal, contact-rich environments, leveraging information-theoretic control and hybrid dynamical systems to help robots acquire complex behaviors and adapt robustly to the real world — advancing the foundations of self-motivated, perceptually-aware robotic intelligence.

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science2025 – Present
Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX
  • Advisor: Dr. Stas Tiomkin
M.Sc. in Software Engineering2022 – 2024
San José State University · San José, CA
  • Thesis: Data-Driven Control of Acoustic Waves Using Movable and Flexible Scatterers
  • Advisor: Dr. Stas Tiomkin
M.Sc. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering2017 – 2020
Tel Aviv University · Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Thesis: Ka-Band Power Amplifier and Digitally Controlled Attenuator in CMOS 130 nm
  • Advisor: Prof. Eran Socher
B.Sc. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering2014 – 2018
Tel Aviv University · Tel Aviv, Israel

Experience

Graduate Teaching Assistant2025 – Present
Department of Computer Science, Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX
  • Senior Capstone (CS 4366): managed course logistics and project execution for 75 students, including check-in meetings between student groups and a local partner company; oversaw grading and milestone tracking.
  • Generative AI (CS 5331/4331): contributed to course content — prepared a significant portion of the lecture slides and designed a homework assignment; responsible for grading and detailed feedback.
  • Reinforcement Learning (CS 4391/5391): supported instruction, grading, and student questions for the reinforcement-learning course.
Research Assistant2025
Computational Intelligence, Control & Information (CI²) Lab, Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX
  • Research on hybrid dynamical systems in robotics — information-theoretic control and learning-based methods for non-differentiable, contact-rich environments.
Research Assistant2024
Computational Intelligence Lab, San José State University · San José, CA
  • Developed machine-learning approaches for controlling acoustic wave propagation, incorporating modern AI architectures and predictive modeling.
Instructional Student Assistant — Data Structures & Algorithms (C++)2023
College of Engineering, San José State University · San José, CA
  • Provided instructional support: grading, student inquiries, and grade appeals.
Media Architecture Systems Engineering Intern2023
Micron Technology · San José, CA
  • Built system-architecture validation tools for NAND flash command sequences, improving reliability and testing efficiency.
System Integration Engineer — 5G Modem2020 – 2021
Qualcomm · Israel
  • Contributed to system integration and validation for 5G modem development — performance optimization and cross-functional feature implementation.
Research Assistant2017 – 2020
Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University · Israel
  • Designed RFICs sent for tape-out, followed by post-fabrication testing and characterization in the high-frequency integrated-circuits lab.
Lab Instructor — Analog Circuits Lab2017 – 2020
Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University · Israel
  • Conducted tutorials, graded assignments, and handled student inquiries and grade appeals.

Awards & Honors

Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year2025
  • Awarded by the Department of Computer Science, Whitacre College of Engineering, Texas Tech University, for outstanding performance as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.
Outstanding Thesis Award2025
  • University-wide award for the most outstanding master's thesis published in 2024–2025, College of Graduate Studies, San José State University. Award: $1,000; presented at University Commencement.
Research, Scholarship & Creative Activity (RSCA) Fellowship2024
  • Competitive award for scholarly and creative activities, College of Engineering, San José State University. Award: $3,000.

Publications & Presentations

  1. T. Shah*, N. Smilovich*, S. Gerges, F. Amirkulova, S. Tiomkin. "Acoustic Wave Manipulation Through Sparse Robotic Actuation." Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2025.
  2. N. Smilovich. "Data-Driven Control of Acoustic Waves Using Movable and Flexible Scatterers." M.Sc. thesis, San José State University, 2024.
  3. S. Londhe, N. Smilovich, S. Avner, N. Bar-Helmer, S. Jameson, E. Socher. "34–42 GHz CMOS Transceiver Frontend for Versatile Arrays." 15th European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference (EuMIC), Utrecht, 2021, pp. 73–76.
  4. N. Smilovich. "Ka-Band Power Amplifier and Digitally Controlled Attenuator in CMOS 130 nm." M.Sc. thesis, Tel Aviv University, 2020.

Presentation: Poster, "Acoustic Wave Manipulation Through Sparse Robotic Actuation," CS Department Research Showcase, Texas Tech University, Oct 2024. (* equal contribution)

Service & Open Source

Research Mentor2024
San José State University · San José, CA
  • Led tutorials and weekly mentoring sessions guiding high-school and community-college students on a project at the intersection of acoustics and machine learning.
Waves.jl — open-source contributor2024
  • Extended the Waves.jl simulator and its deep-learning model with new configuration options and broader support for wave-physics use cases.