Pierre-Yves Lajoie

Pierre-Yves Lajoie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, a leading engineering school affiliated with Université de Montréal. His research focuses on robotics and artificial intelligence, with specialization in robotic perception for single and multi-agent systems. He has held research positions at prestigious institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2019), Samsung AI Center (2023), and University of Oxford (2024).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal

Dr. Lajoie's research interests span across robotics, computer vision, and distributed systems. He specializes in developing algorithms for robotic perception in challenging environments, with applications in aerial, underground, indoor, and space robotics. His work focuses on enabling robots to understand their surroundings through visual and sensor data, particularly in collaborative multi-robot scenarios where communication may be limited or unreliable. His primary research center of excellence is the Industry of the Future and Digital Society, with secondary centers in Modeling and Artificial Intelligence and New Frontiers in Information and Communication Technologies.

His publication record demonstrates a strong focus on collaborative SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) systems, with recent work addressing challenges in planetary exploration, swarm robotics, and pedestrian positioning. His research combines computer vision, machine learning, and distributed systems to create robust solutions for real-world robotic applications, particularly in environments with communication constraints.

Scientific Awards:

• Vanier Canada Scholarship
• Best Paper Award at IEEE ICC 2024

Dr. Lajoie is actively recruiting graduate students for PhD and Master's programs, with openings for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. He encourages students to apply for various scholarship opportunities including NSERC, FRQ, and IVADO scholarships at multiple academic levels. His research is supported by collaborations with academic and industrial partners, focusing on applications in space robotics, automated manufacturing, and service robotics. He has supervised research projects in areas such as search and rescue with sparsely connected swarms and distributed risk-aware exploration systems.