Subbarao Kambhampati

Subbarao Kambhampati is a Professor of Computer Science in the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering at Arizona State University, where he has been faculty since 1991. He directs the Yochan research group focused on developing human-aware AI systems capable of 'fluid teaming'—collaborative interaction between robots and humans. Kambhampati is a Fellow of AAAI, AAAS, and ACM, and served as president of AAAI from 2016-2018.

His research spans automated planning, human-aware AI systems, machine learning, and data integration, with a recent focus on model-lite planning for autonomy in the presence of humans. Kambhampati's work has been supported by NSF, DARPA, ONR, and industry leaders including Google, IBM, and JP Morgan. He has published nearly 300 papers in leading research journals and conference proceedings.

Kambhampati's research portfolio shows a clear evolution from foundational work in automated planning to increasingly human-centered AI systems. His recent publications focus on human-aware AI, explainable behavior synthesis, and planning in open worlds with incomplete models—addressing the critical challenge of AI systems operating effectively alongside humans.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• Fellow of AAAI (2004)
• Fellow of AAAS (2017)
• Fellow of ACM (2019)
• NSF Young Investigator Award (1994)
• IBM Faculty Award (2004)
• Google Research Awards (multiple years)
• AAAI/EAAI Patrick H. Winston Outstanding Educator Award (2025)

Kambhampati has mentored over 50 graduate students, with 20 PhD graduates and 33 master's students completing their work under his supervision. His students have gone on to prominent positions at institutions including Amazon, Google DeepMind, Meta, NASA, and universities worldwide. He has received multiple teaching awards, including being selected by ASU students for the Last Lecture Series in 2011 and Teacher of the Year in 2012. Kambhampati is also active in professional service, having served as program chair for major AI conferences and as a founding board member of the Partnership on AI.