Oliver Brock

Oliver Brock is a Professor at the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), holding the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship since 2009. His research focuses on algorithmic foundations for robotic agents to perform complex tasks in dynamic and unstructured environments, with cross-disciplinary applications in molecular structural biology (e.g., protein folding, docking).

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science, Stanford University (2000)
  • M.S. in Computer Science, Stanford University (1994)
  • Diploma in Computer Science, TU Berlin (1993)

Research Trends: His work spans robotics, motion planning, soft robotics, and machine learning, with recent emphasis on acoustic sensing, adaptive behavior representation, and separating learning from modeling in manipulation tasks. Publications highlight probabilistic methods, human-robot interaction, and biomimetic systems.

Scientific Awards: Notable recognitions include the 2016 RSS Best Systems Paper Award, 2015 Amazon Picking Challenge First Place, and the 2006 NSF CAREER Award.

Advising & Grants: As a Humboldt Professor, he has led programs like the Science of Intelligence and Cognitive Systems tracks at TU Berlin. Professional service includes editorial roles in Autonomous Robots and International Journal of Robotics and Research.

Labs & Teams: He leads the Robotics and Biology Laboratory (RBO) at TU Berlin, focusing on robotic manipulation, sensor design, and biological data integration.