October 22, 2025
By Tracie Troha

When Matthew Fernandez’s passion for robotics led him to enroll at Georgia Tech, he had no idea the decision would set him on a remarkable journey that included an internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, building a Mars rover and studying abroad in Switzerland. Now a fourth-year student at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Fernandez credits his achievements to both opportunity and support.

“I became interested in Georgia Tech when I was working on underwater robotics throughout high school,” Fernandez said. “I applied and made the final decision to attend after receiving a phone call from Jerry McTier, a member of the Godbold Foundation. Through this group and the Provost Scholarship, I confirmed the financial and logistical feasibility of attending Tech, and I am extremely grateful to these groups.”

At Georgia Tech, Fernandez has built an impressive portfolio of research and leadership as he studies robotics in extreme environments. Recently, he received the prestigious Astronaut Scholarship. The recognition, he said, has allowed him to “completely focus on my research and future prospects as I look toward graduate school.”

Some of the projects that helped Fernandez earn the Astronaut Scholarship include joining the Antarctic AUV Vertically Integrated Projects program, working with the RoboJackets’ RoboNav team to build Georgia Tech’s first Mars rover, and landing an internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At JPL, Fernandez worked on the smallest space-grade manipulation system for the Mars Sample Return mission.

In addition to space robotics, Fernandez has continued to explore his interest in underwater robotics at the Complex Rheology and Biomechanics (CRAB) Lab.

“It was during my time [at JPL] that I was convinced the best path forward for this field was for me to pursue a Ph.D. in robotics, which is when I joined Professor Daniel Goldman’s CRAB Lab and haven’t turned back since,” Fernandez said.

This past summer, Fernandez conducted research at ETH Zurich in Switzerland as a ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship recipient. While there, he built autonomous swimming robots from the ground up.

“It was a fast-paced environment full of talented people,” Fernandez said. “Outside of work, I had the opportunity to fully indulge in local culture and food, and on the weekends, I was able to backpack around Switzerland’s various lakes and the Alps.”

When he’s not in the lab, Fernandez’s campus involvement has also included the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Invention Studio and several teams within the Student Competition Center.

For future Yellow Jackets, Fernandez’s advice is to get involved and take advantage of Georgia Tech’s resources.

“Georgia Tech does an incredible job of making opportunities accessible to all, and the breadth of things you can do here is amazing,” he said. “The earlier you get active in the various projects and culture, the more you will get out of your time here. This will guide your decisions and form your path postgrad.”