Huseyin Atakan Varol (M’09–SM’16) received the B.S. degree in mechatronics engineering from Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, in 2007 and 2009, respectively. From August 2009 to August 2011, he was first a Postdoctoral Research Associate and then a Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University. In 2011, he joined the Faculty of Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan, as an Associate Professor of robotics, where he currently chairs the department and directs the Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics Systems Laboratory. His research interests include biomechatronics, variable-impedance actuation, machine learning, and embedded systems. He has published more than 50 technical papers on related topics in international journals and conferences.