Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Peter Washam is a polar roboticist and oceanographer whose research centers on the development and deployment of underwater robotic vehicles to explore Earth's most extreme cryospheric environments, with direct applications to planetary science. His major contributions lie in advancing the engineering and scientific use of compact, robust autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for sub-ice and grounding zone exploration. Washam led the design of a novel water sampling system for the Icefin robot, enabling discrete sample collection under high pressure and low temperatures—a critical tool for studying inaccessible subglacial and ocean systems. He was a key member of the MELT project under the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, where Icefin performed the first long-range robotic exploration of the Thwaites Glacier grounding zone in 2020, providing unprecedented in-situ observations of melting processes at the ice-ocean interface. This work has been cited over 9 times across his most influential papers, and his research is recognized for bridging terrestrial polar science with astrobiology, using Antarctic analogs to inform future missions to ocean worlds like Europa. Washam’s achievements exemplify the fusion of engineering innovation and field science, making him a leading figure in under-ice robotics and climate change research.