Frank Batten College of Engineering & Technology

Meet Taylor Bobrow, '17, an engineer, innovator, and researcher advancing the future of healthcare technology. After earning his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Old Dominion University, Taylor went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Today, he serves as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins, where his work combines optical system design, artificial intelligence, and medical diagnostics to improve patient care.

His research has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications, three U.S. patents, and the development of innovative medical technologies, including a point-of-care diagnostic platform. Taylor was also recognized as a finalist in the SPIE Startup Challenge for his entrepreneurial work. Through innovation, research, and leadership, Taylor is helping shape the future of healthcare.

Learn more about Taylor: www.odualumni.org/40under40_2026_tbobrow
Congratulations, Taylor!

Ryan Taylor (B.S. ’14) found a way to combine two passions — drums and engineering — into one career.

Growing up, Taylor played in school bands, taught drums and developed an interest in robotics. At Old Dominion University, he studied mechanical engineering, played with the Monarch Marching Band and continued pursuing music.

Today, he is a design engineer at Ludwig-Musser Percussion, where he helps create and improve drums and percussion instruments used by musicians around the world.

Read more about Taylor’s journey here: https://bit.ly/49RQuJe.

Congratulations to the Batten College of Engineering & Technology 10 alumni who are listed among the Old Dominion University Alumni Association's 40 Under 40 Class of 2026.

Horace "Aaron" Adams, PE
Taylor Bobrow
Laura Burns, PE, IAM
Devin Jack
Kameron J. King, Ph.D.
Carly Mowle
Renee Mystique Owens
Josh Richardson
Tanashia Scott
Davis Watson, MBA

Here's to the Old Dominion University Alumni Association 40 under 40 Class of 2026!

The annual list spotlights exceptional Monarchs making a difference across a diverse array of fields, representing the best in achievement and service.

See the full list: odualumni.org/40under40_2026

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵: 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗢𝗥

Hometown: Crozet, Virginia

Degree: Taylor graduated in Spring 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in aerospace engineering, with a concentration in mechanical systems/design.

During his time at ODU, Brandon worked with Dr. Colin Britcher on NASA’s Mars Electric Reusable Flyer (MERF) project, helping design a propeller system for a Mars aircraft concept built to operate in the planet’s extremely thin atmosphere and transition between vertical takeoff and forward flight.

The MERF project is an initiative designed to develop a viable prototype for a small fleet of identical aircraft, each equipped with its own set of measurement instruments, that can effectively scout the Martian surface. The objective is to create a fixed-wing design that has significantly greater range, endurance, and terrain navigation capabilities than previous Martian rovers or helicopters.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 1% 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩'𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥.”

Throughout the project, Brandon gained hands-on experience in wind tunnel testing, experiment setup, and data analysis — skills he also applied to his senior capstone project, the AIAA Design, Build, Fly Competition.

In support of his MERF research, Brandon was awarded an undergraduate scholarship from VVirginia Space Grant Consortium He presented the research at the Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa).

This summer, he will work as an OSTEM intern at NASA Langley Research Center, supporting entry vehicle dynamic stability analysis for NASA’s DAVINCI Venus mission.

The Batten College of Engineering and Technology recently hosted the IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensor Environments (ROSE 2026), bringing together researchers, industry professionals, and innovators from around the world to share ideas and advances in robotics, sensing, and intelligent systems.

Chaired by Hicham Chaoui, Ph.D., the Batten Endowed Chair and Inaugural Director of the Institute for Autonomous and Connected Systems at Old Dominion University, the two-day symposium featured keynote presentations and technical sessions focused on autonomous systems, reinforcement learning, sensor fusion, human-robot collaboration, cybersecurity, virtual reality, and robotics applications.

Presentations highlighted a wide range of research, including flood modeling, autonomous agriculture, underwater robotics, AI-based systems, and human-robot collaboration. Sessions also covered virtual reality training, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, and advanced sensing technologies.

Keynote speakers included Gregory Hager, Ph.D., the Mandell Bellmore Professor of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, and Kyriakos Vamvoudakis, Ph.D., the Dutton-Ducoffe Endowed Professor at the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Thank you to the speakers, presenters, volunteers, and attendees who helped make ROSE 2026 a successful and engaging event!

Congratulations, graduates!
More photos from the celebration can be found on ODU’s Flickr site: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCRybQ

Students from the Batten College of Engineering and Technology were among those recognized at Monarch Milestones, a university-wide celebration honoring graduating seniors and student leaders across disciplines.

Raphael Kesse Afrim, a computer engineering major, received the Kaufman Award, the University’s highest honor for a graduating senior. Afrim recognized Dr. Jiang Li as his most influential faculty mentor.

Other Batten College honorees included:
• Ellen Neufeldt Leader of the Year (Graduate): Abed Khosrojerdi
• Ellen Neufeldt Leader of the Year (Undergraduate): Ivy Edwards
• ODU Alumni Association Outstanding Scholar (Batten College): Daniel Letter
• Kaufman Award finalist: Jonathan Guthrie

Several student organizations from the Batten College were also nominated for recognition.

Read more about the event here: Monarch Milestones celebration: https://www.odu.edu/article/exceptional-seniors-honored-at-monarch-milestones-a-celebration-of-student-awards-honors

Growing up in Campostella, Khamal Fisher saw firsthand how flooding impacts his community. Now, the ODU civil engineering senior is helping design flood resilience solutions for the same neighborhoods he once walked through as a kid.

After graduation, Khamal will begin his engineering career with McLean Contracting — while continuing to dream about investing back into the neighborhood that shaped him.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦: https://www.odu.edu/article/class-of-2026-engineering-community-mind

𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰: https://bit.ly/4uSwJJE