mich lin

phd student at MIT
behavior + design in extreme environments

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feb ‘26



jan ‘26



jul ‘25





mar ‘25



feb ‘25    


selected to serve on the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee

made an “Ask MIT!” video with my friend Abby (curiosity correspondent)!

presented the methodology and validation results of prioprioceptive sensing across gravity environments at IEEE EMBC 2025

discussed space architecture at the INCOSE Complex Adaptive Systems conference

MIT Morningside Academy for Design wrote about our expedition fieldwork!

Knit Partitions for Privacy in Capsule Environments --- current

Lack of privacy is one of the biggest stressors in long-duration spaceflight. We especially want light, foldable solutions that can easily accompany astronauts in their capsule. In this project, we explore using machine knitting as a rapid prototyping tool for a flexible lightweight partition, whose opacity may be adjusted through integrated inflatables. Variable opacity allows us to balance affording privacy and social opportunities, as well as fine-tune privacy needs for different types of activities that may need different visual access (e.g., sleeping vs. working vs. “showering”).


In collaboration with:
Tailored Materiality Research
MIT Architecture
MIT Schwartzman College of Computing

Acoustically Responsive Architecture in Extreme Environments

In extreme environments, risks due to isolation, reduced mobility, and resource constraints create challenging psychological conditions.  This project explores how local and natural materials can be modularly integrated into an existing architecture to provide dynamic acoustic insulation controllable by the occupant.



In collaboration with:
Royal Danish Academy Architecture and Extreme Environments

HECIA

The human-environment relationship is complex and made more difficult to characterize in austere environments. We built a literature-based atlas of relationships between the mission, built environment, social processes, and behavioral health outcomes. This tool is for designers, architects, scientists, mission managers to explore the breadth of considerations for building in space.


In collaboration with:
NASA

Movement in Microgravity

In the microgravity environment, the body undergoes a series of adaptive changes. To investigate how body movements adapt to decreased gravity levels, a soft wearable garment embedded with electronics was designed and tested on a parabolic flight.



In collaboration with:
Space Exploration Initiative
MIT Media Lab
Zero-G / Steve Boxall

Lunar Rovers

Lunar exploration is becoming a reality again for the first time since 1972. Astrolab is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies, starting with the FLEX rover.

Since astronauts will be working closely with rovers, the operational ergonomics are critical to consider. A multi-day field test evaluation in the Californian desert yielded insights on biomechanics, cognitive ergonomics, human-machine interaction logistics, and safety. 



In collaboration with:
Astrolab
Commander Chris Hadfield