Skills
Linux • Docker • Git • ZeroMQ • Protocol buffers (Protobuf) • Robot Operating System (ROS) • MuJoCo
C++ • Python • JavaScript • HTML/CSS
Computer-aided design (OnShape) • 3D printing • Basic PCB design (Eagle) • Laser cutting
Experience
Fleet Robotics
Autonomy Lead
Architect and implement the software system from the ground up, including hardware selection, communication protocols (ZMQ, protobuf), DevOps (Docker, CI/CD pipeline), and user interface development, enabling Fleet's first on-ship robot demonstrations.
Develop robust path planning and execution systems for autonomous underwater navigation on complex surfaces, addressing challenges of limited sensing and harsh operating conditions.
Design and implement robot control systems, safety mechanisms, and a robust logging system.
Manage a team of software engineers and supervise high school through PhD student interns.
Lead software project planning and collaborate with stakeholders to manage timelines and risks.
Outrider
Software Engineer, Mission Planning (Remote)
Spearheaded design and development (C++, ROS) of new multi-robot planning for Outrider's fleet of autonomous distribution yard trucks.
Led cross-functional project teams to create new robot behaviors toward commercial product goals.
Supported test site and customer deployments of the mission planning system.
Harvard University Self-Organizing Systems Research Group, Prof. Radhika Nagpal
Doctoral Researcher
Developed collective spatial decision-making algorithms for simulated and physical robot collectives. Includes bio-inspired and Bayesian decision and movement algorithms.
Created open-source Kilosim (C++) to simulate hundreds of robots at up to 1000x real time.
Collaborated with MIT Media Lab to create heterogeneous robot swarm for inspection on space stations, including algorithm development and hardware testing in microgravity (Zero-G flights).
Supervised undergraduate and masters student research projects, and taught robotics and digital fabrication courses.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Dr. Michael Schneider
Computational Science Research Intern
Programmed, refactored, and documented research codebase (Python) for space situational awareness (SSA), since used extensively by researchers at LLNL and in review for JOSS publication.
Developed a simulator and visualization tools (Python) for orbit observation by low earth orbit satellites.
Education
Harvard University
PhD in Computer Science
Thesis: Distributed Decision-making for Inspection by Autonomous Robot Collectives
Department of Energy Computation Science Graduate Fellow (DOE CSGF) • Siebel Scholar
Imperial College London
Master of Research (MRes) in Bioengineering, with Distinction
Marshall Scholar • Thesis: Assisting Balance Recovery with a Lower Limb Exoskeleton
Northeastern University
BS in Behavioral Neuroscience, Minor in Computer Science
Goldwater Scholar • German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholar • summa cum laude
Interests & Activities
NPR Brains On podcast guest • FIRST Lego League judge • Harvard Science in the News public lecture
Curling • Open source 3D print models • Web design & development • Woodworking
Select Publications
You can view all my publications on the Publications page.
J Meyers, M Schneider, J Ebert et al. (2025) SSAPy – Space Situational Awareness for Python. JOSS.
J Ebert et al. (2022) A Hybrid PSO Algorithm for Multi-robot Target Search and Decision Awareness. IROS 2022.
J Ebert et al. (2020) Bayes Bots: Collective Bayesian Decision-Making in Decentralized Robot Swarms. ICRA 2020.
J Ebert et al. (2018) Multi-feature collective decision making in robot swarms. AAMAS 2018.
J Meyers, M Schneider, J Ebert, E Schlafly, T Yeager, A Perloff, D Merl, N Lifset, J Bernstein, W Dawson, N Golovich, D Higgins, P McGill, C Miller, and K Pruett. 2025. "SSAPy – Space Situational Awareness for Python." The Journal of Open Source Software. DOI: 10.21105/joss.08147
J Ebert, F Berlinger, B Haghighat, and R Nagpal. 2022. "A Hybrid PSO Algorithm for Multi-robot Target Search and Decision Awareness." In 2022 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).
J Ebert, M Gauci, F Mallmann-Trenn, and R Nagpal. 2020. "Bayes Bots: Collective Bayesian Decision-Making in Decentralized Robot Swarms." In 2020 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 7186-7192.
J Ebert, M Gauci, and R Nagpal. 2018. "Multi-feature collective decision making in robot swarms." In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and MultiAgent Systems, 1711–1719. Stockholm, Sweden.
