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About

Michael Jenkin is a pioneering robotics researcher whose work spans mobile robotics, multi-agent systems, underwater autonomy, and human-robot interaction. Perhaps best known for co-authoring *Computational Principles of Mobile Robotics* (2010), a foundational textbook that has shaped graduate education in the field with over 650 citations, Jenkin has consistently advanced both the theoretical and applied frontiers of autonomous systems. His early work on robotic exploration as graph construction (1991, 282 citations) established elegant algorithmic frameworks for navigating unknown environments without metric assumptions — a contribution that remains influential decades later. Jenkin has made particularly striking contributions to aquatic robotics through the AQUA project, developing an innovative amphibious robot that locomotes via leg motion rather than conventional thrusters, capable of walking on shore, swimming at the surface, and traversing the ocean floor. This work, spanning multiple highly cited publications, demonstrated remarkable versatility in autonomous systems operating across challenging real-world environments. His taxonomic contributions to multi-agent and swarm robotics (402 and 139 citations respectively) helped provide the community with shared conceptual frameworks. More recently, his work bridging virtual reality and robotic teleoperation reflects a forward-looking interest in immersive human-robot interfaces — cementing his reputation as a researcher of remarkable breadth and lasting impact.