1. Architecture Design
I study architectures that connect perception, world representations, and action, including World Action Models. How can these models learn the consequences of actions and support adaptive behavior through interaction?
Vu-Anh Le (Anh)
Embodied Learning
Building tomorrow
I am a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at the University of Virginia, advised by Prof. Ferdinando Fioretto. I study embodied learning: how model architectures connect perception and action, how robots plan and control their behavior under constraints, and how they learn to reason about the physical world.
Research
2. Planning & Control
I study how robots can use learned mental models to anticipate outcomes, plan under constraints, and translate plans into feedback-driven control. How can they adapt their actions as the world changes?
3. Physical Reasoning
I study how interaction can teach robots about balance, contact, and motion. How can physical reasoning help a robot learn to stand up by itself and transfer what it learns to unfamiliar situations?
Publications
My live publication record is maintained on Google Scholar.
A Mathematical Analysis of Neural Operator Behaviors
Neural Operator Theory · Taylor & Francis Group
Lipschitz Bounds for Persistent Laplacian Eigenvalues under One-Simplex Insertions
Spectral Topological Data Analysis · arXiv preprint · 2025
Spectral Contraction of Boundary-Weighted Filters on δ-Hyperbolic Graphs
Geometric Graph Signal Processing · arXiv preprint · 2025
Experience
Aug 2026 - Present
Doctoral Student, University of Virginia
My research focuses on embodied learning, including architecture design and World Action Models, planning and control, and physical reasoning through interaction.
Advised by Prof. Ferdinando Fioretto (RAISE Lab).
Jun 2024 - Aug 2024
MIT Summer Research Program Intern, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Developed quantitative models and extended PyLENM, an open-source environmental informatics package, to support long-term environmental monitoring and predictive analysis. Contributed mathematical modeling, software implementation, and reproducible computational experiments.
Advised by Prof. Haruko Wainwright (Haruko Group).
Education
Aug 2026 – Present
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science
Relevant coursework: Robot Learning.
Aug 2021 – May 2025
Beloit College
Beloit, Wisconsin
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
Relevant coursework: Mathematical Statistics, Differential Equations, Complex Analysis, Topology, Algorithm Design and Analysis, Data Mining.
News
- Sep. 2026: I recently received a UVA VentureForward grant to support my research project. The award supports the project budget from September 15, 2026, through January 15, 2027.
- Aug. 2026: Starting my Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Virginia.
- Jan. 2026: I was admitted to the Ph.D. program in Computer Science at the University of Virginia and awarded a CS Scholar Fellowship providing full funding.
Beyond Research
Outside of academia, I enjoy comics, travelling, hiking, and wandering in nature. I also admire space science and love relevant movies like Avatar, Dune, Star Trek, ....
I love being a member of Outdoors at UVA! Many hiking, biking, and kayaking sessions are hosted at no cost. If you are a UVA student and looking for fun things to do, please consider joining us :>
