Allison Okamura

Allison M. Okamura is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, with a courtesy appointment in Computer Science. She specializes in haptics, teleoperation, medical robotics, and virtual environments, contributing to human-machine communication through wearable haptic devices. Her work emphasizes intuitive, unobtrusive design for ubiquitous use.

• Education:
  • BS in Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley (1994)
  • MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University (1996, 2000)

She has held editorial leadership roles, including Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation Conference Editorial Board. Her research spans neuromechanics, rehabilitation, and soft robotics, with applications in virtual reality and prosthetics.

Scientific Awards:

• 2020 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Technical Achievement Award
• 2019 IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Distinguished Service Award
• 2016 Duca Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford
• IEEE Fellow

Okamura leads the CHARM Lab, focusing on collaborative haptics and robotics. She co-chaired the 2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems and serves as Deputy Director of the Wu Tsai Stanford Neurosciences Institute.