Carme Torras

Carme Torras is a Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and head of the Perception and Manipulation research line at the Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (IRI-CSIC-UPC). She holds M.Sc. degrees in Mathematics (Universitat de Barcelona) and Computer Science (University of Massachusetts), and a Ph.D. in Computer Science (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya). Her work focuses on robotics, neurocomputing, and AI, with emphasis on robot learning, manipulation, and ethical implications of AI.

She has authored/co-authored 8 books, ~168 journal papers, and ~270 conference papers. Notable projects include ERC Advanced Grant CLOTHILDE (2018–2023) and Horizon Europe project SoftEnable (2022–2026). She has supervised 23 PhD students, many of whom hold prominent academic and industry roles.

Prof. Torras has led international conferences, served on editorial boards, and contributed to policy advisory bodies like the Catalan Government’s AI Ethics Committee and Spain’s National AI Council. Her awards include the IEEE Norbert Wiener Award, Spanish National Research Award, and membership in Academia Europaea and the Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain.

Her research bridges technical advancements with ethical discourse, reflected in her science fiction novels addressing AI ethics. Current focuses include cloth manipulation for assistive robotics and interdisciplinary AI education.