Gelson J. Pagan-Diaz is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also an NSF Graduate Research fellow. He obtained his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. Currently, he works in developing soft robotics by using skeletal muscles and motor neurons. He also serves as a member of the Bioengineering Diversity Committee.