Alex LaGrassa (alagrass)

Alex LaGrassa

Teaching Assistant Professor

Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science

Department of Computer Science

Gateway Center S353
(201) 216-5451

Education

  • PhD (2025) Carnegie Mellon University (Robotics)
  • Other (2019) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Computer Science (M.Eng))
  • BS (2018) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Computer Science)

Research

Robotics, model-based planning, integrated machine learning and planning

General Information

Alex LaGrassa is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science. Alex completed a Ph.D in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University on robotic planning with inaccurate world models.

Appointments

Teaching Assistant Professor, Dept. of Computer Science, Stevens Institute of Technology 2025-Present

Selected Publications

Conference Proceeding

  1. LaGrassa, A.; Lee, M.; Kroemer, O. (2024). Task-oriented active learning of model preconditions for inaccurate dynamics models. 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (pp. 16445--16445).
  2. Mitrano, P.; LaGrassa, A.; Kroemer, O.; Berenson, D. (2023). Focused Adaptation of Dynamics Models for Deformable Object Manipulation. International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
  3. LaGrassa, A.; Kroemer, O. (2022). Learning model preconditions for planning with multiple models. Conference on Robot Learning (pp. 491--500).
  4. Liang, J.; Sharma, M.; LaGrassa, A.; Vats, S.; Saxena, S.; Kroemer, O. (2022). Search-based task planning with learned skill effect models for lifelong robotic manipulation. 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (pp. 6351--6357).
  5. Saxena, S.; LaGrassa, A.; Kroemer, O. (2021). Learning reactive and predictive differentiable controllers for switching linear dynamical models. 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (pp. 7563--7569).
  6. Sharma, M.; Liang, J.; Zhao, J.; LaGrassa, A.; Kroemer, O. (2021). Learning to Compose Hierarchical Object-Centric Controllers for Robotic Manipulation. Conference on Robot Learning (pp. 822--844).
  7. LaGrassa, A.; Lee, S.; Kroemer, O. (2020). Learning Skills to Patch Plans Based on Inaccurate Models. Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (pp. 9441--9448).

Journal Article

  1. LaGrassa, A.; Huang, Z.; Berenson, D.; Kroemer, O. (2025). Planning-Query-Guided Model Generation for Model-Based Deformable Object Manipulation. arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.19199.
  2. Kaelbling, L. P.; LaGrassa, A.; Lozano-P\'erez, Tom\'as (2021). Specifying and achieving goals in open uncertain robot-manipulation domains. arXiv preprint arXiv:2112.11199.

Ph.D. Thesis

  1. LaGrassa, A. (2025). Enabling Reliable Model-Based Planning with Inaccurate Models. Carnegie Mellon University.

Courses

CS 115 - Introduction to Computer Science, Fall 2025