Michael Sherman
Senior Staff Research Scientist, Robot Simulation Software
Los Altos, California, United States
Summary
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Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolMichael Sherman is a Senior Staff Research Scientist specializing in high-accuracy, high-performance physics-based simulation for robotics, biomechanics, and molecular systems, with over 20 years of experience building production-grade C++ simulation engines. He led and shipped foundational tools (SD/FAST, Pro/Mechanica, Simbody) that made multibody dynamics accessible to non-dynamicists and scaled to thousands of users across research and industry. Michael blends deep numerical expertise—O(n) multibody algorithms, high-order integrators, error-controlled methods—with pragmatic engineering to prioritize "accuracy first" while achieving realtime and GPU-accelerated performance. He has architected and maintained major open-source projects used in robotics (Drake, Gazebo), biomechanics (OpenSim), and molecular simulation (OpenMM), and has a track record of improving numerical stability and build portability across platforms. Formerly a director at Toyota Research Institute and chief architect at Stanford’s Simbios center, he moves fluidly between hands-on development and technical leadership. An uncommon strength is his ability to reframe advanced dynamics and geometry into programmer-friendly abstractions that enable wide adoption in diverse domains.
20 years of coding experience
44 years of employment as a software developer
BS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, BS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley
Stackoverflow
653reputation
5kreached
26answers
1question
Github Skills (39)
debugging10
code-optimization10
debug10
maintenance10
c-language10
numerical-integration10
boost-test10
architecture10
testing10
collision-detection10
build-system10
cmake10
system10
opensimulator10
architectures10
Programming languages (10)
Github contributions (5)
RobotLocomotion/drake
Mar 2016 - Jan 2023
Model-based design and verification for robotics.
Role in this project:
Back-end Developer & System Architect
Back-end Developer & System ArchitectContributions:3108 reviews, 637 commits, 1179 PRs in 6 years 11 months
Contributions summary:Michael primarily focused on improving the numerical integration stability of the system within the Drake robotics library. They replaced the explicit Euler integrator with the explicit trapezoid rule (RK2) to enhance stability. Furthermore, the user demonstrated system architecting skills by creating a new subdirectory for generally useful C++ utilities like `NiceTypeName<T>`. In addition, the user fixed bugs and implemented additional features across several sub-modules within the library.
model-basedmodel-based-designroboticsdrakeverification
opensim-org/opensim-core
Jan 2012 - Jan 2016
SimTK OpenSim C++ libraries and command-line applications, and Java/Python wrapping.
Role in this project:Back-end Developer & Code Maintainer
Back-end Developer & Code MaintainerContributions:287 commits, 63 PRs, 66 pushes in 4 years
Contributions summary:Michael's contributions primarily involve improving the code quality and fixing compilation issues in the OpenSim project. They focused on eliminating compiler warnings related to deprecated features and incorrect use of data types, as well as addressing build failures on macOS. Furthermore, the user implemented necessary upgrades and corrections to the core property and object infrastructure, including a complete re-engineering of these crucial components. The user also made adjustments to the internal systems, and addressed several memory leaks.
biomechanicspythonsciencecppmusculoskeletal-models
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