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About

Katherina Sapozhnikov is a rising star in robotics, whose work bridges the gap between surgical precision and extreme-terrain exploration. Her research spans three distinct domains: medical robotics, soft robotics, and field-reconfigurable systems for space exploration. In the medical realm, she developed a force-sensing surgical drill for robotic mastoidectomy, enabling real-time force feedback that promises to enhance safety and precision in delicate ear surgeries. Her work on a soft robotic actuator system for modeling Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus demonstrates her ability to apply soft robotics to critical neurological challenges, allowing active manipulation of intracranial pressure waveforms for pathophysiological investigation. Perhaps most notably, Sapozhnikov was a key contributor to the WORMS project, which won recognition in the 2022 NASA BIG Idea Challenge. This field-reconfigurable walking robot platform, designed for extreme lunar terrain, offers a transformative alternative to wheeled rovers for Artemis missions. With over 27 citations across her most-cited papers, all published in 2023, Sapozhnikov is already demonstrating significant early-career impact, establishing herself as a versatile engineer whose innovations are as applicable to the operating room as they are to the lunar surface.