Auburn mechanical engineering graduate makes university history with dual thesis and dissertation awards
Published: May 20, 2025 2:00 PM
By Jeremy Henderson
Kyle Castellano earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering technology from Southern Polytechnic State University, which later merged with Kennesaw State University. He enrolled at Auburn for graduate work in mechanical engineering hoping to keep pace with the university's rigorous academic standards. Two degrees later, it's officially safe to say that he succeeded — and set a new standard in the process.
Castellano, who logged a 4.0 grade point average throughout his four years as a student, is the first — and only — Auburn University student to win both the Auburn University's Master’s Thesis Award and Distinguished Dissertation Award.
Michael Zabala, Castellano's research advisor, isn't surprised.
“Kyle is one of the most talented engineers I’ve had the pleasure of working with," said Zabala, Auburn Alumni Engineering Council Endowed Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "He possesses a rare ability to translate complex requirements into elegant and functional CAD designs."
Castellano earned his master's degree in 2020, collaborating with Dr. Jon Commander, a local internal medicine physician, to design and build a robotic device for assessing foot neuropathy. He successfully designed and built the first prototype within a year, detailing the process for his thesis, "A Diagnostic Tool for Neuropathy Assessment on the Plantar Surface of the Foot."
The device was eventually patented, and the thesis eventually honored with the Master’s Thesis Award.
Castellano then pursued his doctorate through an Auburn University Presidential Research Fellowship, continuing clinical studies on the device through the funding and support of Auburn's Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). Castellano and a team of VCOM students used the device to study sensation loss in more than 160 subjects, comparing factors like age, body mass index and blood sugar levels across healthy, diabetic and neuropathy-affected groups.
“As part of his Ph.D. research, he successfully deployed this device in Dr. Commander’s clinic, where it was used to assess a large patient population, demonstrating both its clinical utility and the significant potential impact of his work,” Zabala said.
Castellano, who earned his doctorate in 2022, detailed those findings in his Ph.D. thesis "Design, Performance, and Analysis of an Automated Tool for Neuropathy Assessment on the Plantar Surface," which added the Distinguished Dissertation Award to his list of academic achievement, making history in the process.
“I was very honored to have won both of these prestigious awards, individually," Castellano said. "To learn that I was the first to win both was validation of my pursuit of academic excellence."
It was also likely validation of his high school engineering teacher's instincts as a recruiter.
"I had always wanted to go to Auburn because my high school engineering teacher at West Forsyth High School, David Johnson, was an Auburn alumnus," Castellano said. "He was also the teacher sponsor for our robotics club, and I learned so much from him about engineering. He spoke very highly of Auburn and it always resonated with me. For me attending Auburn was my aspiration."
Currently, Castellano serves as a research engineer at Auburn University's Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems supporting Industry 4.0 adoption among small-and medium-sized manufacturers. He also manages the Bird Inc. program, which promotes manufacturing careers and STEM education in middle schools.
"There are always big projects underway at Auburn," he said, "and I am hoping to continue being an integral part of those endeavors."
Media Contact: , jdh0123@auburn.edu, 334-844-3591
Kyle Castellano (center) poses with Graduate School Dean George Flowers (left) and President Christopher B. Roberts (right) while receiving the Graduate School's Distinguished Dissertation Award. Castellano is the only Auburn student to win both the Distinguished Dissertation Award and the Master's Thesis Award.
