Student Builds Robotics Career Through Hands-On Learning
Srinidhi Pattala, MS’25, robotics, gained confidence in robotics through Northeastern’s hands-on curriculum, industry co-op, and mentorship, preparing her for a career in autonomous systems.
Srinidhi Pattala, MS’25, robotics, discovered her passion for autonomous systems at Northeastern through project-based courses, mentorship with professors, and an industry co-op at Graco.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electronics and instrumentation from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad, India, Pattala worked for two years as a software automation engineer at Accenture in India. She was ready to transition to a career in a more hands-on field; apprehensive about her abilities, she decided to pursue an MS in robotics at Northeastern. It became an outlet for Pattala to hone skills in autonomous navigation, object detection, and multi-robot coordination.
In her first semester, she took the project-based course, Robotic Sensing and Navigation, where she was introduced to Robot Operating Systems (ROS)—a set of software libraries and tools that help build robot applications. The class utilized an autonomous vehicle to build real-time technical skills in sensor fusion and communication protocols that are essential for robotics engineers. Deeply inspired and influenced by her professor, Hanumant Singh, Pattala later enrolled in a couple of his courses, including Legged Robots and Robotics Science & Systems. The foundational skills she developed and then honed through hands-on projects and his mentorship were invaluable throughout her academic and professional career.
Gaining confidence through co-op, leadership, and community
Pattala accepted an eight-month co-op as a robotics engineer at Graco in Rogers, Minneapolis, where she worked on developing an autonomous chassis for field spraying systems. She began her position at the inception of the project and returned to classes after the robot was launched.
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Her co-op at Graco played a major role in shaping her early career path; the practical experience helped her grow as a robotics engineer.
“Being a part of the entire project gave me a genuine understanding of how robots are physically built and why they may respond to an algorithm in an unexpected way. The real-time problem solving of autonomous navigation and sensor perception influenced me to pursue this field in my coursework and my career,” says Pattala.
Looking to cultivate her interpersonal skills, Pattala enrolled in LEAD360— a Northeastern leadership development program—while on co-op. There, she developed stronger communication skills and the confidence to take on more challenges. Her success in the program led to a student facilitator role where she taught 30 students.
Pattala’s experience in the online program NULEAD360, pictured above, honed communication skills essential for her career.
After her co-op and feeling inspired by her newfound passion in automated robotics, Pattala joined the NU Robotics Club and NU Sanskriti. Pattala’s active participation in the clubs kept her engaged with the campus community and facilitated connections with peers and professors that helped her grow personally and professionally as an international student.
During her last semester, Pattala volunteered as a robotics engineer at the Silicon Synapses Lab at Northeastern, led by Associate Professor Alireza Ramezani. She connected with PhD students and learned about ongoing research projects. These connections helped her understand what skills would be useful for her job search and potential future PhD work.
Putting it all together with the final semester project
Pattala wrapped up her final semester by working on an autonomous bartender robot arm, which she believes will help propel her towards success.
For her final project, Pattala teamed up with four other students, building and programming an autonomous bartender robot with Zhi Tan, associate professor of computer science, as their final project advisor. Tan provided the group with all the hardware they needed to build the robot arm, and Pattala and her team successfully programmed it to detect, pick up, and deliver drinks to customers. After presenting these results at the end of the semester, they gained exclusive access to the equipment post-graduation. The team’s next stage would involve color detection and drink mixing. She says the opportunity to create this hands-on project provided her a creative space to apply everything she learned from classes, co-op, and extracurriculars in developing her own project.
Next steps: Industry experience, then PhD
Now pursuing opportunities in autonomous systems and humanoid robotics, Pattala credits Northeastern’s technical curriculum and experiential learning for preparing her for industry success. She plans to remain in Boston indefinitely to gain industry experience before pursuing a PhD at Northeastern.
“I always underestimated myself, especially in this particular field, with competition all around me. But with each class project, the mentorship of my professors, and the completion of my co-op at Graco, I became more certain in my abilities,” Pattala says. “I gained the confidence to believe in myself and my success in the future.”
Pattala says she is proud to be a Northeastern Husky and is ready to face any challenge head-on.