Prabhakara Akarsh

Akarsh Prabhakara is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with an additional affiliation in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He earned his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in 2024, where he worked under Professors Anthony Rowe and Swarun Kumar.

• Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 2024
• B.Tech, Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, 2018

His research focuses on building high-fidelity wireless systems for perception and communication, particularly in cyber-physical and robotic applications. He explores machine learning-driven RF systems, novel communication paradigms, wireless-robotics integration, and embedded wireless sensing. His work aims to enable robust perception in challenging environments such as smoke or fog using millimeter wave radar and deep learning.

His recent publications in CVPR, ICRA, MobiCom, and ICCV demonstrate a strong trend in using neural methods for radar simulation, super-resolution, and wireless intelligence. Key themes include implicit neural rendering for radar, end-to-end learning for perception, and high-resolution point cloud generation from low-cost sensors.

His scientific contributions have been recognized through publications in top-tier venues, though specific awards are not mentioned in the provided text. He is actively involved in mentoring and recruiting students for research in wireless and robotics. He teaches courses such as Intro to Computer Networks and Big Ideas in Wireless: Perception and Communication.

He leads research projects like RadarHD, which enables lidar-like perception from mmWave radar, and is developing tools and datasets for community use. His lab emphasizes practical, real-world applications of wireless systems in robotics and autonomous systems.