Ph.D. Student | Robotics Researcher | Educator

Hello! I'm Chance J. Hamilton, a Ph.D. student and robotics researcher at the University of South Florida, working under Dr. Weitzenfeld in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.

My research focuses on biologically inspired computational models for spatial navigation, with an emphasis on vision-based place cell encoding. I develop tools and frameworks that bridge the gap between neuroscience and robotics — including FAIRIS, a simulation and control platform designed to support reinforcement learning and cognitive mapping in mobile robots.

I'm also passionate about education. As a teaching assistant, I help students explore mobile robotics through hands-on assignments in simulation and with physical robots. I enjoy mentoring students as they implement localization algorithms, control systems, and reinforcement learning models.

Outside of academics and code, I find balance in the outdoors. I love hiking, camping, freshwater fishing, kayaking, scuba diving, and swimming — any chance to be in or around water is a good one. These adventures recharge my creativity and give me new perspectives on both nature and robotics.

I'm also a dedicated gamer. I run a long-standing Minecraft realm filled with collaborative builds and redstone engineering. When I’m not digging blocks, I’m commanding ships in Sea of Thieves or raising chaos with my crew in GTA Online.

Feel free to explore my site to learn more about my projects, publications, and open-source contributions.