Portrait of Gage MacLin

Gage MacLin

Ph.D. Candidate, Mechanical Engineering · The University of Iowa

I conduct research in optimal control, motion planning, and learning-based autonomy for safety-critical systems, with an emphasis on real-time trajectory generation and collision-free multi-agent planning. I am a member of the Cooperative Autonomous Systems Lab, advised by Venanzio Cichella.

Research

Real-time optimal control

Bernstein polynomial approximations and transformer networks that generate optimal trajectories fast enough to run onboard.

Safe multi-agent planning

Collision-free trajectory planning for teams of autonomous aircraft, ground robots, and underwater vehicles.

Learning-based autonomy

Diffusion models and meta-learning for safe robot learning, manipulation, and navigation in open-world settings.

Where I've Worked

Applied Scientist Co-op · 2026

Amazon Robotics

Took safe motion planning research off the whiteboard and onto real robots, spanning quadruped navigation and robotic arm manipulation.

Papers: CoRL 2026 · ICRA 2027* · ICRA 2027*
* submitted

Graduate Research Intern · 2024–25

NASA Langley Research Center

Developed a trajectory classification algorithm for real-time trajectory generation and prediction for autonomous aircraft, then put it to the test in multi-aircraft motion-capture experiments. The work led to a series of conference papers.

Papers: CDC 2025 · AIAA Aviation 2025

Graduate Research Intern · 2023

United States Navy

Orchestrated collaborative missions between autonomous vehicles using ROS, while leading a team of five undergraduate interns on a shared research project.

Engineering Intern · 2019–22

John Deere

Saw how real products get made, end to end: product design, verification and validation, production, and quality control.

Journal Publications

  1. Vladimir Petrov, Gage MacLin, and Venanzio Cichella. “Adaptive Reference Management and Model Predictive Control for Near-Surface Depth-Heading Control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.” Ocean Engineering 368, 128400, 2026.
  2. Vladimir Petrov, Gage MacLin, and Venanzio Cichella. “Underwater vehicle autopilot system for controlling depth and pitch: Maneuvering through near-surface waves and environmental disturbances.” Ocean Engineering 317, 119910, 2025.
  3. Gage MacLin, Maxwell Hammond, Venanzio Cichella, and J. Ezequiel Martin. “Modeling, simulation and maneuvering control of a generic submarine.” Control Engineering Practice 144, 105792, 2024.
  4. Maxwell Hammond, Gage MacLin, Venanzio Cichella, and Laurent Jay. “Solutions to Differential Algebraic Inequalities with Composite Bernstein Polynomials.” SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing. submitted

Conference Proceedings

  1. Amisha Bhaskar, Gage MacLin, Camilla Tabasso, Leo Lin, Pratap Tokekar, Venanzio Cichella, Tye Brady, and Taskin Padir. “PolyFusion: Collision-Free Robot Learning using Bernstein Polynomials.” 10th Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL). to appear
  2. Gage MacLin*, Marco Bibuli, and Venanzio Cichella. “Adaptive Reference Control for Depth Regulation of a Biomimetic Robotic Fish.” IFAC World Congress, 2026.
  3. Nick Gorman, Gage MacLin, and Venanzio Cichella. “Solving Geodesic Equations with Composite Bernstein Polynomials for Trajectory Planning.” IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2026.
  4. Michael Acheson, Andrew Patterson, Kasey Ackerman, Thomas Britton, Newton Campbell, Irene M. Gregory, Daniel Hill, Tanavi Nakamura-Zimmerer, Benjamin Simmons, Gage MacLin, Mia Scoblic, and Venanzio Cichella. “Baseball Avoidance Multirotor Simulation.” AIAA SciTech Forum, 2026.
  5. Gage MacLin*, Venanzio Cichella, Andrew Patterson, and Irene Gregory. “Real-Time Optimal Control via Transformer Networks and Bernstein Polynomials.” IEEE 64th Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), 2025.
  6. Maxwell Hammond, Gage MacLin*, Amirreza Fahim Golestaneh, and Venanzio Cichella. “Scalable Trajectory Planning for Multi-Agent Systems Using Continuum Mechanics and Bernstein Polynomials.” IEEE 64th Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), 2025.
  7. Gage MacLin*, Andrew Patterson, Irene Gregory, and Venanzio Cichella. “Transformer-Enabled Leg-Based Trajectory Generation for Autonomous Aircraft Near Airports.” AIAA AVIATION Forum, 2025.
  8. Maxwell Hammond, Gage MacLin*, and Venanzio Cichella. “Adaptive Reference Management and Model Predictive Control for Near-Surface Operations of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.” IFAC 16th Conference on Control Applications in Marine Systems, Robotics and Vehicles, 2025.
  9. Gage MacLin*, Andrew Patterson, Venanzio Cichella, Michael Acheson, and Irene Gregory. “Optimal Control using Composite Bernstein Approximants.” IEEE 63rd Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), 2024.
  10. Vladimir Petrov, Gage MacLin, and Venanzio Cichella. “Autopilot System for Depth and Pitch Control in Underwater Vehicles: Navigating Near-Surface Waves and Disturbances.” IFAC 15th Conference on Control Applications in Marine Systems, Robotics and Vehicles, 2024.
  11. Gage MacLin, Mason Peterson, Camilla Tabasso, Joshua Migdal, Venanzio Cichella, Tye Brady, and Taskin Padir. “Continuous-Time Safe Planning and Control for Agile Quadrupeds.” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2027. submitted
  12. Mason Peterson, Gage MacLin, Camilla Tabasso, Joshua Migdal, Tye Brady, and Taskin Padir. “Open-World Object Motion Anticipation via Meta-Learning for Safe Robot Navigation.” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2027. submitted
  13. Nick Gorman, Gage MacLin, and Venanzio Cichella. “Model Predictive Planning: Real-time, Control-Agnostic Path Planning Across Three UAV Controllers.” IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2027. submitted

* presenting author

Other Technical Publications

  1. Andrew Patterson, Gage MacLin, Michael Acheson, Camilla Tabasso, Venanzio Cichella, and Irene Gregory. “On Hermite Interpolation using Bernstein Polynomials for Trajectory Generation.” NASA Technical Memorandum 20230013467, 2023.
  2. Gage MacLin, Venanzio Cichella, Andrew Patterson, Michael Acheson, and Irene Gregory. “Optimal Control using Composite Bernstein Approximants.” Bernstein/Bézier Polynomials in Control, Estimation, and Planning. to appear

Education

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

Expected Spring 2027
The University of Iowa · Advisor: Venanzio Cichella

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Fall 2024
The University of Iowa · Advisor: Venanzio Cichella

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Spring 2023
The University of Iowa · Advisor: Venanzio Cichella

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