Jacob Lessing

M.S. in Robotics at CMU

Palo Alto, California, United States

About

I'm a robotics researcher interested in making humanoid robots accomplish complex tasks safely. This includes researching reinforcement learning and foundation models to achieve intelligent planning/control. My goal is developing models that work in the real-world, which requires not just simulating results, but physically building and testing robotic systems to understand them.

Experience

  • Optimus Robotics Intern at Tesla
    Jan 2026 - Present · 6 mos

  • Robotics Researcher (Intelligent Control Lab) at Carnegie Mellon University
    Sep 2025 - Jan 2026 · 5 mos

  • Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut, United States)
    • Undergraduate Learning Assistant (Mechatronics)
      Jan 2025 - May 2025 · 5 mos

    • Yale Center for Engineering Innovation & Design, Design Aide
      Sep 2022 - Jan 2025 · 2 yrs 5 mos

  • Special Education Paraprofessional at Issaquah School District
    Oct 2020 - Jul 2021 · 10 mos