Hello! My name is Nathaniel Hamilton and I am an AI Scientist at Parallax Advanced Research. I earned my doctorate at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where I was a part of the Verification and Validation for Intelligent and Trustworthy Autonomy Laboratory (VeriVITAL) headed by my advisor Dr. Taylor T. Johnson. My research focuses on training safer and more robust agents using Safe Reinforcement Learning. In particular, my current work focuses on developing a better understanding of how Safe Reinforcment Learning methods actually impact the training and performance of agents.
My research branches across many robotics applications, with the greatest focus on:
- autonomous racing with our lab’s F1/10 race car,
- various aerospace tasks using autonomous planes and spacecraft, and
- autonomous search and rescue with a quadrotor for the 2018 and 2019 NSF CPS Challenges.
When I’m not reading research papers, writing code, or running experiments, I enjoy reading novels, brewing delicious specialty coffee, and/or getting outside for a long hike.