Andrea Richa

Professor Andrea Richa is a President's Professor at Arizona State University (ASU) since 2022, with a dual appointment as Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in the School for Computing and Augmented Intelligence (SCAI). She serves as Honors Faculty at Barrett, the Honors College, and holds Associate Faculty positions at the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society, Global Security Initiative, and Biomimicry Center at ASU.

• Education
  • PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University (1998)
  • MS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University (1995)
  • BS in Computer Science from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1989)

Her research focuses on distributed and network algorithms, particularly programmable matter through self-organizing particle systems (SOPS). Key areas include bio-inspired distributed algorithms, wireless network modeling, self-stabilizing overlay networks, and approximation algorithms. She leads the Self-organizing Particle Systems Lab (sops.engineering.asu.edu).

Recent publications highlight her work in programmable matter (2025), anonymous network synchronization (2025), and energy-constrained systems (2023), demonstrating interdisciplinary applications in robotics, environmental monitoring, and biological systems.

• Scientific Awards
  • NSF CAREER Award (2000-2006)
  • 2017 SCAI Best Senior Researcher Award
  • 2024 Fulton Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
  • 2021 Faculty Women Association Mentor Award

She has received major grants including a DoD MURI (2019-2025) and multiple NSF awards for research on self-organizing particle systems, wireless communication models, and distributed algorithms. She has delivered 59+ invited/keynote presentations globally since 1997.