Nancy Amato

Nancy Amato is the Unocal Professor of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at Texas A&M University, co-directing the Parasol Lab. Her research focuses on motion planning, robotics, computational biology, and parallel computing. She has advised 16 PhD students and 25 master’s students, fostering academic and research careers. Recognized for teaching excellence, she received awards like the 2015 CSE Graduate Teaching Excellence Award and the 2013 Betty M. Unterberger Award.

Her contributions to diversity in computing include the A. Nico Habermann Award (2014) for expanding underrepresented groups in research. She is an IEEE Fellow and AAAS Fellow for contributions to motion planning and computational biology. Amato earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and mathematical sciences from Stanford University and a master’s in CS from UC Berkeley, later studying under Franco Preparata at the University of Illinois.

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s in Economics and Mathematical Sciences, Stanford University
  • Master’s in Computer Science, UC Berkeley
  • PhD Studies under Franco Preparata, University of Illinois
• Awards:
  • 2013 IEEE Hewlett-Packard/Harriet B. Rigas Award
  • 2014 A. Nico Habermann Award
  • Fellow of IEEE and AAAS
• Grants/Advising:
  • Directed over 160 students across PhD, master’s, undergraduate, and high school levels
  • Co-developed the CRA-W Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates program
• Labs/Teams: Parasol Lab (focusing on parallel computing and robotics)