Elissa Ledoux

Despite beginning as a preschool dropout, Elissa found her passion for academics and graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2013.  She earned her M.S. from Vanderbilt University in 2016, and then worked as a mechanical engineer for Universal Logic, a robotics integrator.  In 2018, Elissa began teaching Mechatronics Engineering at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).  After discovering teaching as a calling, she resumed graduate studies and completed her Ph.D. at Vanderbilt in 2024.  In 2025, Elissa transitioned from MTSU to Benedictine College, where she teaches General and Mechanical Engineering courses, specializing in Mechanics, Robotics and Senior Design Capstone.

Elissa’s industrial experience is primarily in mechanical design for robotics integration, particularly end-of-arm tools, robot selection, and cell layouts.  Her technical research at Vanderbilt focused on rehabilitation robotics (orthotics and prosthetics), and she developed two hand exoskeletons for stroke recovery as part of her doctoral work.  Since graduating, Elissa pivoted towards open educational resource (OER) development, realizing a passion for teaching over technological research during her time straddling both fields.  She has co-authored open-access textbooks for engineering capstone and undergraduate robotics, as well as developing YouTube video series for a myriad of engineering courses, and is eager to continue making engineering education more efficient, effective, and affordable for everyone.

Degrees:

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Louisiana State University, 2013
• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, 2016
• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, 2024