Ryan K. Cosner

Ryan K. Cosner

Mechanical Engineering Professor

Bio

Ryan Kazuo (一男かずお) Cosner (he/they) is the Glenn R. Stevens Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University (starting in January 2026). He directs the Tufts SRC Lab (Tufts Safe Robotics & Control Lab), which seeks to revolutionize robot safety and enable performant, trustworthy, and capable robots to be deployed confidently alongside humans. His research spans robotics, machine learning, and control theory, with an emphasis on theoretical rigor and practical utility.

Ryan earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley (2019), and his M.S. (2021) and Ph.D. (2025) from Caltech. In 2022, he worked as a research intern with the Autonomous Driving Research Group at Nvidia. He was recognized as an Outstanding Teaching Assistant at Caltech in 2024.

For the most up-to-date list of Ryan’s publications, please check out his Google Scholar or for other news find him on LinkedIn.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

View CV

Hobbies

Outside of work, I enjoy playing music (trombone and guitar), drawing, reading, cooking, learning languages, and endurance sports.

  • Teams I cheer for: the Cal Bears, the LA Dodgers, the Oakland A’s, the Los Angeles Angeles (of Anaheim).
  • Favorite Robots: Baymax, Perseverance, BB8
  • Best concerts I’ve been to: the Mowgli’s in Haight-Ashbury, the Killers at the Chase Center, Lawrence at the Wiltern, and Theo Katzman at the Troubadour.
  • Favorite movies: Your Name, Big Hero 6, Lilo and Stitch, 500 days of Summer, Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 10 Things I Hate About You.
  • Favorite books: Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro, The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu, I, Robot - Isaac Asimov, Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner, What I Talk About When I Talk ABout Running - Haruki Murakami
  • Favorite places: Zion National Park, Miyajima Island, Yellowstone National Park, Okayama’s Korakuen Garden, Griffith Observatory, Uji’s Tsuen tea house, Napili Bay, Salem, Cusco.
  • Boston Food Recommendations: Yume wo Katare (ramen), Yume ga Arukara (udon), Celeste (peruvian), Veggie Galaxy (vegan diner).
  • Favorite Runs/Bike Rides: Grizzly Peak in Berkeley (bike), Charles River in Boston (run), Ohori Park in Fukuoka (run), Oceanside 70.3 (triathlon), SF marathon (run). Add me on Strava to see what I’ve been up to recently!
  • Favorite Things to Cook: Spam musubi, korokke, okonomiyaki, katsu curry, avocado toast, spinach-basil pesto, pancakes, inarizushi.
  • Favorite Holiday: Halloween
  • Languages: Yo diría que hablo español a nivel conversacional, そして日本語を少し話せます。