Illah R. Nourbakhsh

Illah R. Nourbakhsh is a Professor of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University and Director of the Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment (CREATE) Lab. He also serves as Inaugural Executive Director of the Center for Shared Prosperity and previously held the K&L Gates Professorship of Ethics and Computational Technologies. His work bridges robotics, artificial intelligence, and community empowerment, focusing on technology-driven social impact.

• Education: Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University

Research Interests

His research explores community-based robotics through projects like GigaPan (citizen science visualization), Hear Me (student advocacy), and Explorables (data storytelling). He emphasizes human-robot collaboration for learning, participatory design, and ethical AI frameworks. His recent work addresses AI's societal implications in books like Robot Futures and AI and Humanity.

Scientific Leadership

• Co-Founder, Blue Pumpkin Software (acquired by Witness Systems)
• Robotics Group Lead, NASA/Ames Research Center (2004)
• Chairman of Airviz, Inc. and Open Planet

Awards & Affiliations

• Kavli Fellow (National Academy of Sciences, 2009)
• IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Autonomous Systems
• World Economic Forum Global Future Council on AI & Robotics

His CREATE Lab has engaged over 40,000 people globally through programs like Arts and Bots (K-12 STEAM education) and Message from Me (home-school communication tools).