Kira Barton

Kira L. Barton is an American mechanical engineer whose research concerns the applications of control theory to the coordination of multi-agent and autonomous robot systems, including in additive manufacturing. Her work has also involved the development of a digital twin framework for smart manufacturing. ^[1] She is a professor of mechanical engineering, professor of robots, and Miller Faculty Scholar at the University of Michigan. ^[2]

Education and career

She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2001 where she majored in mechanical engineering. She continued her studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she received a master's degree in 2006 and completed her Ph.D. in 2010, ^{[2] [3]} under the supervision of Andrew G. Alleyne. ^[4]

She joined the University of Michigan as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in 2011. ^[3]

Recognition and Awards

• Barton was a 2015 recipient of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, ^[5] and in 2015 became the inaugural recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. ^[6] She was the 2017 recipient of the biennial Outstanding Young Investigator Award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Dynamic Systems & Control Division. ^[7]

• She was named as an ASME Fellow in 2024. ^[8]

• AY23-24 MMRI UM Faculty Proposal Team Awards, for the project:Generative AI for Materials and 3D Printing Co-Design: Toward a Center for Additive Manufacturing and Material Advancements in Construction (CAMMAC), in collaboration with Dr. Mania Aghaei Meibodi. Presented by the Michigan Materials Research Institute (MMRI), University of Michigan (UM). ^[9]

References

1. Wolff, Ilene (June 7, 2022), "25 Leaders Transforming Manufacturing", Advanced Manufacturing, SME, retrieved 2025-06-29
2. "Kira Barton", People, University of Michigan Mechanical Engineering, retrieved 2025-06-29
3. "Kira L. Barton", IEEE Xplore, IEEE, April 22, 2025, retrieved 2025-06-29
4. "Alumni", Alleyne Research Group, UIUC Mechanical Science and Engineering, retrieved 2025-06-29
5. Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award Recipients (1980 to present) (PDF), SME, March 14, 2025, retrieved 2025-06-29
6. Barton receives 2015 UIUC MechSE Outstanding Young Alumni Award, University of Michigan Mechanical Engineering, March 23, 2015, retrieved 2025-06-29
7. "Outstanding Young Investigator Award", Dynamic Systems & Control Division, ASME, retrieved 2025-06-29
8. All Fellows (PDF), ASME, March 2025, retrieved 2025-06-29
9. "Prof. Kira Barton and Dr. Mania Aghaei Meibodi named AY23–24 MMRI UM Faculty Proposal Team Awardees", Michigan Materials Research Institute, University of Michigan, retrieved 2025-12-20

External links

• Barton Research Group
• Kira Barton publications indexed by Google Scholar