California robotics engineering grad is ready to solve problems
Alex Dooley, a student in Barrett, the Honors College, will receive his BSE in robotics engineering this May. He plans to continue his ASU education by obtaining a master’s degree in robotics and autonomous systems. Courtesy photo
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2026 graduates.
By Amanda Loudin
From a very young age, San Diego-born Alex Dooley was obsessed with robots and science fiction. From “Star Wars” to “Transformers” and everything in between, Dooley inherently knew he wanted to be part of the creators behind products “that anyone would enjoy.”
So when it came time to choose a college and a major, Arizona State University and robotics engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering were a slam dunk.
“ASU has a vast number of engineering opportunities, from classes to clubs, career fairs and connections to many companies,” says Dooley.
He took advantage of all that, participating in robotics club, competitions, networking and more.
Dooley’s favorite spot on campus was the Peralta Engineering Studio on the Polytechnic campus, where he worked on a variety of projects using tools like 3D modeling and printing, CAD modeling, SolidWorks software and more.
“I was able to bring my ideas to life and ‘play’ with robots,” Dooley says. “It was challenging but absolutely wonderful.”
As the member of the consistently top-ranked Barrett, the Honors College and recipient of the California Scholarship Foundation scholarship prepares to receive his BSE in robotics engineering this May, he’ll continue his ASU education by obtaining a master’s degree in robotics and autonomous systems.
Dooley says Thomas Sugar, associate dean for Barrett at the Polytechnic campus, played a big role in his education.
“I’ve learned so much from him, and he pointed me in the right direction to gain leverage in the job market,” he says. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been so ambitious with my projects or have seen them through to the finish.”
Here, Dooley shares more about his undergrad experience at ASU:
Question: Did you face any hurdles while getting your degree?
Answer: All the time. I faced mechanical issues with components, 3D prints that came out wrong, broken circuits and incorrect calculations. But I learned to better manage my time and understand the right tools for each job.
Q: What advice do you have for those still in school?
A: Don’t limit yourself. Find what expands your creativity, and if there isn’t something that does yet, then it’s your chance to create it.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve a problem, what would you do with it?
A: I’d create efficient expansion, construction and maintenance of new structures for providing people with natural, essential goods, from food to clean water, electricity for homes, and oil/gas for vehicles — ideally through a combination of manual human input and robots/integrated systems working to keep everything stable.
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