Ariella Mansfield is a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) working in the ScalAR lab, advised by Prof. Ani Hsieh. Her current research focuses on task and path planning for robots operating in marine environments affected by ocean currents. While these complex environments initially pose a challenge to planning a robot’s mission, her work examines how we can take advantage of the environmental dynamics in the planning process. Outside of her research work, she has participated in entrepreneurship at Penn, winning the Rothberg Catalyzer and the Wharton Startup Challenge Innovation Award for her team’s work on a smart orthotic wrist device for children with cerebral palsy. Prior to starting her PhD, she was a consultant with Appian Corporation from 2015-2018, where she developed and managed software projects for various US government agencies such as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Labor, and the Bureau of Land Management. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in 2015.