Auke Ijspeert

Auke Ijspeert is a Full Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), leading the Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob). He earned a B.Sc./M.Sc. in physics from EPFL (1995) and a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh (1999). After postdoctoral work at IDSIA, EPFL, and the University of Southern California (USC), he returned to EPFL as an SNF assistant professor, becoming associate professor in 2009 and full professor in 2016. He holds primary affiliation with EPFL's Institute of Bioengineering and secondary affiliation with the Institute of Mechanical Engineering.

• 1995: B.Sc./M.Sc. in Physics, EPFL
• 1999: Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh
• 2002: SNF Assistant Professor, EPFL
• 2009: Associate Professor, EPFL
• 2016: Full Professor, EPFL

His research explores the intersection between robotics, computational neuroscience, nonlinear dynamical systems, and machine learning. He develops robotic models to study animal locomotion principles and creates bio-inspired adaptive controllers. His work extends to assistive technologies like exoskeletons and smart furniture for mobility assistance. Notable publications include Science 2007 and 2014, and Nature 2019 with Nyakatura et al.

He has received numerous awards, including:

• 2020: IEEE Fellow
• 2006: SNSF Professorship
• 1997: Marie Curie Scholarship
• 2024: IEEE ICRA Most Influential Paper Award
• 2019: CLAWAR Best Paper Prize
• 2018: SAB Best Conference Paper Award
• 2014: IEEE RO-MAN Best Paper Award
• 2007: IEEE Humanoids Best Paper Award
• 2002: ICRA Overall Best Paper Award

Professor Ijspeert teaches courses in autonomous robotics, computational motor control, and legged robots at EPFL. He supervises numerous PhD students and contributes to editorial boards of leading journals in robotics and neuroscience. His laboratory investigates locomotion principles through robotic models and simulations, bridging biological understanding with technological innovation.