Darwin Gordon Caldwell

Professor Darwin Gordon Caldwell serves as Founding Director of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa since 2006 and currently holds the position of Vice President for the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (2024–present). His academic career includes Professor of Advanced Robotics at the University of Salford (1999–2007), with progressive ranks from Lecturer to full Professor. He maintains honorary professorships at multiple institutions including Manchester, Bangor, Sheffield, King’s College London, Soochow University, Tianjin University, and Shenzhen Academy of Aerospace Technology.

His research spans foundational areas in robotics including actuation systems, medical robotics, exoskeletons, and human-robot interaction. Key contributions include pioneering work in humanoid/quadupedal robotics and telepresence systems, with significant industrial applications in rehabilitation and occupational safety. His research program has generated substantial real-world impact through five spin-off companies.

• Awards:
• Donald Julius Groen Prize (2023)
• Compasso d’Oro design prize (2022)
• Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering (2015)
• National Innovation Prize (2012)
• Top Scientist rankings in Electrical Engineering (2023–2025)

Caldwell has secured over €175 million in research funding across 150+ grants and contracts. His mentorship program has graduated more than 70 PhD and 50 MSc students. As a prolific researcher, he maintains an h-index of 99 (Google Scholar) with over 750 publications. He actively shapes the field through editorships at Science Robotics and leading IEEE/ASME journals, while delivering keynotes at 70+ international conferences.