Nora Ayanian

Nora Ayanian is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Brown University, leading the Automatic Coordination of Teams Lab. She holds a PhD and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by postdoctoral research at MIT’s CSAIL. Her work focuses on multi-robot systems, integrating task assignment, path planning, and control to enable coordinated teams of robots for applications in manufacturing, environmental monitoring, and emergency response.

Affiliations: Brown University School of Engineering, Department of Computer Science. Former roles include Andrew and Erna Viterbi Associate Professor at USC and WiSE Gabilan Chair holder.

Research Interests: Aerial robotics, multi-agent systems, swarm intelligence, and control systems. Notable projects include the Crazyswarm nano-quadcopter swarm and downwash dynamics research for large-scale UAV teams.

Awards: 2016 MIT TR35 Innovator, NSF CAREER Award, Okawa Foundation Grant, and recognition as one of IEEE's 'AI’s 10 to Watch'.

Teaching: Courses on coordinated robotics and robotics as an artistic medium. Active mentorship with awards for inspiring students and fostering diversity in STEM.

Grants & Labs: Director of the Automatic Coordination of Teams Lab, with funding from NSF and industry partnerships. Research has been featured in USA Today, Discovery Channel, and Tech Insider.