Shankar Kalavakolanu

Shankar Kalavakolanu.

Robotics and autonomy engineer who ships systems end-to-end.

Backed by competition wins, published research, and teams that deliver.

Founding Robotics and Autonomy Engineer at Space-Intel, building autonomous systems for final-mile delivery, geospatial mapping, and stratospheric imaging. Ohio State alum, former Buckeye Vertical president, and published researcher in autonomous drone control.

Selected Work

Buckeye Vertical logo
Buckeye Vertical

Autonomous UAV · 4-year competition arc

Four years as president: scaled the team from 15 to 75, won VFS DBVF as a freshman, built multi-year autonomous delivery UAVs for SUAS.

DREAMING Falcon logo
Published · ARC

DREAMING Falcon

Physics-informed reinforcement learning for quadrotor control. AIAA DCASS 2025.

Quantum Leap Robotics logo
Quantum Leap Robotics

FTC competitive robotics

Seven years on Team 8719: from Cascade Effect to Ultimate Goal, the foundation for everything since.

Experience

Space-Intel · Founding Robotics and Autonomy Engineer
Nov 2025 – Present

Developing autonomous systems for final mile delivery, geospatial mapping, and stratospheric imaging applications.

Aerospace Research Center · Research Assistant
Sep 2022 – Oct 2025

Co-author on DREAMING Falcon (AIAA DCASS 2025); physics-informed RL for 6-DOF quadrotor control and PX4 sensor-fusion on a 50 lb Part 107 UAV.

GE Aerospace · LEAP HPC LCE Intern
May 2024 – Aug 2024

Fatigue, burst-margin, and creep analysis on LEAP HPC components in NX/ANSYS, with a Python pipeline that automated FEA post-processing across all stages.

Siemens · Technology & Innovation Intern
May 2023 – Aug 2023

NX/HEEDS optimization on warehouse-automation robotic arms, plus a fanless thermal redesign for industrial nanobox PCs.

Siemens · Design Intern
May 2022 – Aug 2022

AutoCAD design packages — schematics, 3D models, BOMs — for new DXR HVAC controllers, with on-site lean assessments at install.

Publications

DREAMING Falcon: Physics-Informed Model-Based Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Quadrotor Control

AIAA Dayton-Cincinnati Aerospace Sciences Symposium (DCASS) 2025

[PLACEHOLDER: lay summary of the paper]

arXiv:2511.18243