2023 – 2026
MSc Mechanical Engineering
ETH Zürich · Zürich
Focus on Robotics, Machine Learning and Control
Thesis: Reinforcement Learning for Robotic Manipulations (UNSW Sydney)
Mugahed Abdulla
Robotics & ML Engineer
Mechanical engineer from ETH Zürich and EPFL, focused on robotics, machine learning and control. I work on reinforcement learning for robotic manipulation, sim-to-real transfer and computer vision for real-world deployment.
Switzerland
- MSc ETH Zürich
- BSc EPFL
- Master thesis @ UNSW Sydney
- Computer Vision @ Rolex
- IEEE ICDL 2026 publication
Experience
Sept. 2025 – Apr. 2026
Master Thesis — Reinforcement Learning for Robotic Manipulation
UNSW · Sydney, Australia
- Designed and trained reinforcement learning algorithms for autonomous robotic grasping, bridging simulation and real-world deployment on a Kinova Gen3 Lite arm.
- Validated the approach on a real robot, demonstrating successful sim-to-real transfer of learned behaviours.
- Published at IEEE ICDL 2026.
PythonPyTorchMuJoCoSACKinova KORTEX APISim-to-realApr. 2025 – Jun. 2025
Computer Vision & ML Research Assistant
DeMello Group · ETH Zürich
- Developed and deployed an end-to-end deep learning pipeline to detect and classify white blood cell subtypes from high-resolution microscopy blood smears.
- Applied state-of-the-art deep learning models for cell detection and classification, achieving robust performance.
- Optimised the inference pipeline for a Jetson Orin Nano using CUDA to meet real-time constraints.
PythonDeep LearningYOLOCUDAJetson Orin NanoSept. 2024 – Mar. 2025
Computer Vision Engineer Intern
Rolex · Switzerland
- Conducted a feasibility study on machine learning and computer vision for automated anomaly detection on watch components.
- Assessed the viability of production-ready algorithmic solutions for industrial quality control.
- Translated operational requirements into concrete technical recommendations with multidisciplinary teams.
PythonComputer VisionAnomaly DetectionOpenCV2023 – 2025
Teacher
Futurekids · Switzerland
- Designed and delivered hands-on coding and robotics curricula for children aged 8–16 using Lego robots.
- Taught web development fundamentals (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Instructed video game development with Unity: game design, scripting and prototyping.
Lego RoboticsHTML/CSS/JSUnityTeaching2021 – 2022
Team Driverless
EPFL Racing Team · Lausanne
- Designed and built a 1/7 scale autonomous electric vehicle platform to test and validate driverless algorithms.
- Contributed to perception, control and system integration in a multidisciplinary student team.
ArduinoServo / ESC3D PrintingPWM
Education
2018 – 2022
BSc Microengineering
EPFL · Lausanne
Skills & Interests
Robotics & Control
MuJoCoKinova KORTEX APISim-to-realReinforcement LearningMotion PlanningMPC
Machine Learning & Computer Vision
Machine LearningDeep LearningComputer VisionTensorFlowPyTorchOpenCVYOLO
Programming
PythonC/C++ (Object-oriented programming)Matlab (Optimisation & Simulation)
Tools & Hardware
GitLinuxGoogle Cloud PlatformCatia V5ArduinoJetson Orin NanoCUDA
Languages
French — FluentEnglish — Professional proficiencyArabic — Limited working proficiency
Hobbies
Travelling — discovering new culturesScuba diving — exploring marine lifeSport — hiking, running and boxing
Projects
Publications
Adaptive Reward Shaping Helps Only Without Entropy Auto-Tuning: A Boundary Condition for Robotic Reaching
M. Abdulla, M. Mesto, F. Cruz
IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning (ICDL), 2026
Download PDFOnline link available around December 2026
Get in touch
Open to opportunities in robotics and machine learning. Send me a message.