Grace Cai

M.S. Student in Computer Science · University of Maryland, College Park

I am an M.S. student in Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park, where I also received B.S. degrees in Computer Science (with High Honors) and Physics. I am advised by Prof. Ming C. Lin in the GAMMA Lab, where I work on physics-based and differentiable dynamics models of micro-mobility vehicles for simulation and autonomous navigation.

My research interests lie at the intersection of physically-based simulation, differentiable programming, and robotics. I am interested in building models of the physical world that are faithful enough to capture real dynamics and differentiable enough to be used directly for learning, planning, and control of autonomous systems.

Previously, I was a World Model Systems Engineering Intern on the Autonomous Vehicles team at NVIDIA, where I studied how sensor degradation affects obstacle perception, and a Software Engineering Intern at Uber. Outside of research, I enjoy golf and baking.

I am applying to Computer Science Ph.D. programs for Fall 2027.

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