Xinrui DingCurriculum Vitae
Education

Expected: Bachelor of Applied Science - Mechatronics Engineering

University of Waterloo
Sep 2022 – Jun 2027Waterloo, Canada
Experiences

Research Assistant - Waterloo Microfluidics Laboratory

Prof. Carolyn Ren, Professor, Tier I Canada Research Chair in Microfluidic Technologies, University of Waterloo
  • •Developing a novel wearable massage sleeve with soft actuators for lymphedema therapy
    • Jan 2026 – PresentWaterloo, Canada
  • •Integrates flexible printed circuit sensors into the wearable sleeve to monitor real-time limb volume changes and applied pressure with high sensitivity
  • •Implements embedded control systems using motor drivers to regulate pneumatic pressure within the actuators based on real-time sensor feedback

    • Research Assistant - Nishida Lab

    Prof. Robert Nishida, Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo
  • •Built a physics-based aerosol sensing model by extending the "opcsim" framework to simulate light-particle interactions inside low cost optical sensors
    • Sep 2025 – Dec 2025Waterloo, Canada
  • •Conducted controlled laboratory chamber experiments to validate accuracy of the model to predict sensor biases caused by relative humidity, temperature, and pressure.

    • Scientific Instrumentation Development Intern - Lab of Atomic and Solid State Physics

    Prof. Robert Thorne, Professor, Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, Cornell University
  • •Led the comprehensive redesign of a gravity-actuated plunging system used to prepare biological samples for high speed X-ray crystallography
    • May 2025 – Aug 2025Ithaca, USA
  • •Unified the electrical system for a motor driven automatic plunging device by consolidating legacy subsystems into a single integrated PCB architecture
  • •Engineered a specialized gas exchange manifold to minimize sample pre-cooling, ensuring millisecond-scale precision during rapid freezing protocols

    • New Product Development Intern

    Tyler Veld, Supervisor of New Product Development, Musashi Americas
  • •Developed a prototype "smart" vehicle ball joint featuring embedded sensors to provide live telemetry of vehicle suspension health, including part wear and ride height
    • Sep 2024 – Dec 2024Waterloo, Canada
  • •Designed a 4-layer, automotive-grade circuit board utilizing the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol to livestream diagnostic data to a central processing unit
  • •Performed lab tests on company products, including tensile and torsional loading tests on ball joints

    • Research Assistant - Orthopaedic Mechatronics Lab

    Prof. Stewart McLachlin, Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo
  • •Designed mechanical fixtures for multi-axis spinal testers to enable 6-axis loading simulations on anatomical specimens for healthcare research
    • Apr 2024 – Aug 2024Waterloo, Canada
  • •Performed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to validate the structural integrity of testing components before physical fabrication

    • Research Assistant - IDEAS Clinic

    Chris Rennick, Engineering Educational Developer, University of Waterloo
  • •Designed and implemented Robot Operating System (ROS2) based navigation and control algorithms for autonomous mobile robot lab modules used in robotics and control courses
    • Jan 2024 – Apr 2024Waterloo, Canada
  • •Conducted Ansys FEA for bearing failure analysis, complemented by redesigning a bearing endurance test machine to empirically simulate real-world operational failures

    • AV Events & Stores Assistant

    Derek Madge, Events Co-ordinator, University of Waterloo
  • •Managed and provided AV support for campus events and conferences
    • May 2023 – Aug 2023Waterloo, ON
  • •Filmed and post-produced content featured on the university's YouTube channel
    • Extracurricular Activities

    Senior Member, Controls Lead

    Waterloo Rocketry
  • •Led an interdisciplinary undergraduate team of 30+ students at the University of Waterloo in the design of roll stability augmentation and aerodynamic braking systems for the team's sounding rocket to compete at Launch Canada (student rocketry competition)
    • Apr 2023 – Apr 2025
  • •Developed real-time embedded software in C using the FreeRTOS operating system on standard STM32 microcontrollers to process flight data
  • •Constructed 6-DoF (Six Degrees of Freedom) flight simulations in MATLAB/​Simulink to optimize control parameters
  • •Designed CFD simulations in Ansys for aerodynamic characterization of the sounding rocket

    • Team Co-Lead

    UW React
  • •Co-led the university's FIRST Robotics team by coordinating strategy, build efforts, and mentorship across multidisciplinary members
    • Oct 2022 – Jan 2024
    Projects

    3-DoF Stewart Platform (Group Project)

    Built a complete 3-DoF Stewart platform to balance a ping-pong ball. Implemented and evaluated multiple PID-based control and trajectory strategies using camera/​load cell feedback and Simulink modeling for experimental validation

    2025

    Aroma

    Designed a multi-scent smart diffuser featuring modular reservoirs, a custom ESP32-based PCB with water-level sensing, LCD, Bluetooth connectivity, and dynamic scent selection capability

    2025
    Conference Presentations

    Borealis - Waterloo Rocketry's 2024 Rocket

    Canadian Space Conference

    Represented Waterloo Rocketry student design team with a booth setup

    Jan 2025poster

    Implementation and Verification of Active Altitude Control System

    Launch Canada Rocketry Competition
    Aug 2024podium
    Publications

    A Low-Cost, Easy-to-Construct System for Mix-and-Quench Time-Resolved Crystallography with 10 ms Time Resolution

    Manuscript in Preparation (Thorne Group, Cornell University)

    Awards

    Dean's List

    University of Waterloo
    2026

    President's International Experience Award

    University of Waterloo
    2025

    President's Research Award

    University of Waterloo
    2023

    Governor General's Academic Medal

    Governor General of Canada
    2022

    Queen Elizabeth Scholarships

    City of London
    2022

    President's Scholarship of Distinction

    University of Waterloo
    2022
    Technical Skills
    Computer Aided Design: SolidWorks, Ansys, Inventor, Fusion 360, KiCad, Altium, MeshLab, CATIA v5, AutoCAD
    Manufacturing: Mill & Lathe, 3D Printing, Soldering, Composite Fabrication, Waterjet, Laser Cut, Test Lab, GD&T
    Software: Python, C, C++, Java, Git, LabVIEW, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, SQL, ROS
    Technologies: MCUs & Embedded Systems, MATLAB/Simulink, SimulationX, Oscilloscope, Linux/Docker
    Volunteer Experiences

    Judge

    Vex Robotics

    •Evaluated engineering notebooks and robot performance to score teams

    Nov 2025

    Volunteer

    Waterloo Engineering Outreach
  • •Engaged prospective students during open houses with engineering demonstrations
    • Jan 2024 – Present
  • •Visited local high schools to present engineering and rocketry projects and speak with students about STEM pathways