Student Spotlight: Mohamed Elmoghany
November 10, 2026
Mohamed Elmoghany is a doctoral student in computer science with a focus on robotics who considers Ithaca, New York to be home. He earned a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from Alexandria University and now studies memory in robots under the guidance of Angelique Taylor at Cornell.
What is your area of research and why is it important?
Imagine a new employee on their first day, with no tour and no map, who is asked to fetch supplies from a storeroom they have never seen. Today’s robots can’t do this. Some can walk around a building, and some can use their hands, for example to make coffee, but none can do both in a place they have never been. I am giving robots a memory: They explore once, remember what they see in 3D, and then use it to find an item in another room, pick it up, and bring it back with nobody telling them where to walk or where things are. This matters because a person must guide today’s robots through every new building. However, with a memory, robots will help humans without supervision, which will make it easy to see robots in every building running around doing tasks that people asked for. It would help us be more productive and focus on what matters.
What are the larger implications of this research?
A robot that can handle a new building on its own could take over fetching and delivering in places where workers are short. In a hospital, nurses would spend less time running errands and more time with patients. Warehouses and government buildings face the same need, and this would help keep the U.S. a leader in robotics. At home, the same robot could help people with Alzheimer’s, who often forget where things are, by remembering for them.
What does it mean to you to be a Dean’s Scholar?
It is an honor, because the fellowship is highly competitive, recognizes the experience I bring and a vote of confidence in my research, from a highly competitive fellowship. It gives me room to push robotics research forward. I see it as a responsibility to give back, by explaining to the public why research matters and by mentoring undergraduates who are starting out.
What are you most looking forward to in regards to being a Dean’s Scholar?
Taking my first Cornell research project out of simulation and onto a real robot that runs everyday errands. I am also looking forward to the network of Dean’s Scholars, a community where we support each other and use our work to make a difference in society.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of your research or scholarship?
I enjoy hiking, skating, and snorkeling to see coral reefs.
I also love spending some time with my pet birds (two canaries and two cockatiels).
I am an electronics hobbyist and love to build RC cars.
Why did you choose Cornell to pursue your degree?
Every Cornellian I have met has felt like part of one family, and I wanted to join that community. Cornell’s collaborative culture, strong resources, and some of the best professors in robotics are what I need to take robots from the lab into real buildings.