Luca Carlone is the Boeing Career Development Associate Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT and a Principal Investigator at the Laboratory for Information & Decision Systems (LIDS) . He leads the SPARK Lab , focusing on developing certifiable perception algorithms for autonomous systems. PhD in Mechatronics (Polytechnic University of Turin, 2012) Research spans robotics, computer vision, and optimization Research Interests : Certifiable Perception algorithms for high-integrity systems High-level Perception (geometric, semantic, physical understanding) Efficient Perception methods for resource-constrained robots Scientific Contributions include: 2024 Outstanding Systems Paper Award (RSS) 2023 IEEE Transactions on Robotics King-Sun Fu Award 2021 NSF CAREER Award 2020 AIAA Advising Award 2019 Amazon Research Award Advising : Teaches graduate courses like Visual Navigation for Autonomous Vehicles and Robotics: Science and Systems . Collaborates with institutions including JPL, Caltech, and KAIST through the DARPA SubT Challenge.
Michael Kaess is an Associate Professor at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), within the School of Computer Science. He leads the Robot Perception Lab (RPL) and contributes to the Field Robotics Center (FRC) and Computer Vision Group (CV). His research focuses on efficient perception algorithms for mobile robots, particularly in 3D mapping, SLAM, and sensor fusion using vision, LiDAR, inertial, and sonar data. Kaess holds a PhD in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and was a postdoc at MIT's Marine Robotics Lab. Education: Georgia Institute of Technology, PhD in Computer Science (2008) MIT, Postdoctoral Associate (2008–2010) Research Interests: Kaess develops algorithms for robust and efficient inference in robotics, emphasizing factor graphs and linear algebra. His work spans underwater robotics, aerial systems, tactile SLAM, and multi-sensor integration. Key areas include SLAM with planes/lines, imaging sonar reconstruction, and neural field methods for LiDAR-visual fusion. Publications: Over 145 papers, including work on EDPLVO (visual odometry), HoloOcean (underwater simulation), and neural radiance fields with LiDAR. Recent trends focus on robust incremental smoothing, acoustic-optical fusion, and real-time volumetric mapping. Awards: Recognized with the RSS Test of Time Award (2020), Outstanding Associate Editor (2022), and paper awards at ICRA/ICRA. Active in conference organization (IROS/ICRA program committees). Advising & Grants: Supervises 10+ current PhD/MSc students, with past advisees contributing to CoRL/ICRA work. Manages grants in perception, autonomy, and marine robotics. Teaches courses like Robot Localization and Mapping (16-833). Labs/Teams: Directs RPL, collaborates with FRC on field robotics. Develops open-source tools like GTSAM (GNU Toolkit for Smoothing and Mapping).
Shoudong Huang is a Professor at the School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering , University of Technology Sydney, and Deputy Director of the UTS Robotics Institute. His research focuses on mobile robot navigation , SLAM , nonlinear state estimation , and surgical robotics . He has published over 200 papers and is recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Scholars in Robotics (Aminer, 2018). PhD in Automatic Control, Northeastern University (China) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Hong Kong (1998-2000) Research Fellow, Australian National University (2001-2003) Full-time academic roles at UTS since 2004 His work addresses challenges in robot localization across extreme environments (underwater, underground mining, surgical settings) and develops globally optimal SLAM algorithms with guaranteed performance. He has secured over $4 million AUD in external funding, including ARC Discovery grants and industry partnerships. Recent publications emphasize cross-modal calibration (camera-LiDAR), interval analysis for bounded noise , and template-based deformable surface reconstruction . These span applications in autonomous driving, surgical navigation, and UAV guidance. Chancellor’s Medal for Research Excellence (2020) Supervisor of the Year (2023) Best Paper Award (2016 ICARCV) Huang serves as Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Robotics and International Journal of Robotics Research , and has held leadership roles in top robotics conferences like IROS and RSS. His collaborations span MIT, USC, Zhejiang University, and industry partners including PMSW Research Pty Ltd and Multiplex Constructions Pty Ltd.
Professor Andrew Davison holds the position of Professor of Robot Vision at Imperial College London's Department of Computing. He leads the Dyson Robotics Laboratory and the Robot Vision Research Group, focusing on advancing SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) and Spatial AI. His groundbreaking work includes the MonoSLAM algorithm (2003), enabling real-time 3D vision for robotics and AR/VR. Current research emphasizes scalable, semantic-rich Spatial AI systems, as outlined in his FutureMapping papers (2018–2019). Education: BA in Physics (Oxford, 1994), D.Phil. (Oxford, 1998). Postdoctoral work at AIST, Japan (1998–2000), followed by a lectureship at Imperial (2002–present). Industrial collaborations include SLAMcore, a Spatial AI startup, and Dyson Robotics Lab. Over 18 PhD students supervised, many now leading roles at Meta, NVIDIA, SLAMcore, and academia. Notable contributions include DTAM, KinectFusion, and Event Camera SLAM. Recognized for software tools like SceneLib and contributions to robotics benchmarks (SLAMBench). Active on Twitter (@AjdDavison) for research updates.
Sanjiv Singh is a Research Professor at the Robotics Institute within Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science. His academic journey at CMU spans from Systems Scientist (1995-2001), to Senior Research Scientist (2001-2003), Associate Research Professor (2003-2007), and finally Research Professor since 2007. He also holds an adjunct faculty position in Mechanical Engineering since 2009. Singh serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Field Robotics, demonstrating his leadership in the robotics community. His educational background includes a Ph.D. and M.S. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University (1995, 1992), an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University (1985), and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Denver (1983). Dr. Singh's research focuses on three primary themes: Autonomous Navigation (developing motion planning and control for ground and air vehicles with applications in agriculture, exploration, and low-flying aircraft), Coordinated Multi-Robots (examining team-based tasks like structure assembly and search/rescue operations), and Forceful Interaction with the world (using physical models to enable robots to handle complex, high-force interactions). His work spans aerial robotics, agricultural and forestry robotics, mining robotics, 3D vision, sensing and perception, visual servoing, motion planning, and field service robotics. Analysis of his recent publications (2016-2020) reveals a strong focus on collision avoidance algorithms, sensor fusion techniques, and real-time navigation systems. His research demonstrates consistent advancement in SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technologies, particularly in GPS-denied environments, with increasing sophistication in handling complex aerial maneuvers and multi-robot coordination. Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Field Robotics Dr. Singh has advised numerous graduate students throughout his career, with current advisees including Matt Aasted (Ph.D), Andrew Chambers (M.S), Hugh Cover (M.S), Michael Dille (Ph.D), and Justin Haines (M.S). His past students include prominent researchers like Sebastian Scherer, Joe Djugash, Fred Heger, Geoff Hollinger, and Ji Zhang who have gone on to make significant contributions in robotics. His research has been supported through various projects including CASC (agricultural applications), Riverine, Transformer, Trestle, and Ember. His laboratory work focuses on developing practical robotic systems capable of operating in challenging real-world environments, with particular emphasis on agricultural applications, search and rescue operations, and coordinated multi-robot teams that can work effectively alongside humans.
Prof. Stefan Leutenegger is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Technische Universität München (TUM), leading the Machine Learning for Robotics group within the TUM School of Computation, Information, and Technology. Previously, he held roles as Senior Lecturer (2018–2021) and Lecturer (2014–2018) at Imperial College London's Dyson Robotics Lab, where he founded the Smart Robotics Lab. He earned his PhD (2014) from ETH Zurich, focusing on autonomous solar-powered aircraft navigation, and holds BSc (2006) and MSc (2009) in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich. His research centers on mobile robotics, particularly enabling robots (e.g., drones) to perceive and navigate complex environments using machine learning and sensor data fusion. Key focus areas include SLAM, event-based vision, 3D reconstruction, and autonomous exploration. He has pioneered algorithms like BRISK (2011), OKVIS (2014), and ElasticFusion (2016), advancing real-time robotics perception. Notable Awards: Imperial College President's Award (2018), Best ECCV Paper (2016), ETH Medal for Dissertations (2015). Labs: TUM's Machine Learning for Robotics Group, Imperial's Smart Robotics Lab. Publications: Over 100 papers, including seminal works in CVPR, ECCV, and Robotics: Science and Systems. Current projects include DigiForests (forest inventory via robotics), aerial additive manufacturing, and object-centric semantic mapping. His work bridges theory and practice, with applications in autonomous drones, construction robotics, and human-robot interaction.
Sebastian Scherer is an Associate Research Professor at the Robotics Institute (RI), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), where he leads cutting-edge research in autonomous aerial systems and robotics. His work focuses on enabling unmanned rotorcraft to operate safely and efficiently in cluttered, low-altitude, and extreme environments. Education: Ph.D. in Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University (2010) MS in Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University (2007) BS in Computer Science (Minor in Robotics), Carnegie Mellon University (2004) His research interests span robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, SLAM, visual-inertial odometry, energy infrastructure, and public policy . He has made seminal contributions to UAV autonomy, including the first obstacle avoidance for micro aerial vehicles in natural environments (2008) and the first automatic landing zone detection and landing on a full-size helicopter (2010). His recent publications (2023–2025) demonstrate a strong focus on resilient autonomy, multi-robot exploration, foundation models for robotics, and large-scale dataset development. His team has released key datasets like TartanGround , BETTY , and SubT-MRS , and simulation tools like Pegasus Simulator , indicating a systems-level approach to advancing real-world autonomy. The research trends emphasize self-supervised learning, robust perception, risk-aware planning, and multi-modal fusion for off-road and urban environments. Scientific Awards: Popular Science Best of What's New 2010 Award AIAA@Infotech Best Paper Runner-up Award (2010) Siebel Scholar Dr. Scherer has advised numerous students and leads a vibrant research group focused on high-impact robotics applications. He has secured significant grants related to UAV autonomy, energy infrastructure, and urban air mobility. His lab develops experimental infrastructure such as AIrTonomy for testing next-generation autonomous aerial vehicles. He is actively involved in advancing SLAM and localization in extreme environments, notably through participation in the DARPA Subterranean Challenge. His team develops large-scale datasets and benchmarking frameworks to push the boundaries of robustness and generalization in mobile robotics.
Cyrill Stachniss is a Full Professor at the University of Bonn , where he heads the Lab for Photogrammetry and Robotics and is affiliated with the Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence . He was previously a Visiting Professor in Engineering at the University of Oxford until 2025. His academic journey includes positions at the University of Freiburg, University of Zaragoza, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. University: University of Bonn School: Faculty of Engineering Department: Department of Photogrammetry Academic Rank: Professor His research spans robotics, photogrammetry, SLAM, autonomous navigation, perception systems, agricultural robotics, and unmanned aerial vehicles . He emphasizes probabilistic techniques for mobile robots and has made significant contributions to visual and LiDAR-based localization, scene understanding, and 3D reconstruction. The recent publications highlight a strong trend toward neural implicit representations, agricultural phenotyping, radar-based perception, and active learning . His team develops robust systems for real-world deployment in dynamic and unstructured environments, particularly in precision farming and autonomous vehicles. Scientific Awards: IEEE RAS Early Career Award (2013) Microsoft Research Faculty Fellow (2010) 7th EURON Georges Giralt Award (2008) Multiple Best Paper Awards at ICRA, IROS, RSS, and RAL Faculty Teaching Award, University of Freiburg He has advised numerous students and leads the DFG Cluster of Excellence PhenoRob and Research Unit FOR 1505 Mapping on Demand . His lab has co-founded three startups, reflecting strong industry and societal impact. He also runs the educational video series 5 Minutes with Cyrill , explaining key robotics concepts.
Giorgio Grisetti is a Full Professor at Sapienza University of Rome within the Department of Systems and Computer Science, maintaining active research roles in the RoCoCo lab at Sapienza since November 2010 and the Autonomous Intelligent Systems Lab at Freiburg University where he previously served as a Post Doc under Wolfram Burgard starting in 2006. His educational background includes a M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the University of Rome (2001) and a Ph.D. from Sapienza University of Rome's Intelligent Systems Lab (2006), supervised by Daniele Nardi. His doctoral thesis focused on SLAM using Rao-Blackwellized particle filters. Dr. Grisetti's research centers on mobile robotics with emphasis on robust solutions for autonomous navigation systems. His work spans theoretical and practical advancements in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), robot localization, path planning, and sensor fusion, particularly leveraging LiDAR and multi-sensor configurations. Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on optimization techniques, sensor calibration, and real-time performance for autonomous systems operating in complex environments. His publication trends reveal deep specialization in LiDAR-based SLAM (7 of 15 recent articles), bundle adjustment methods (4 articles), and sensor calibration/perception (3 articles), with consistent contributions to top robotics venues like IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and ICRA. Key recognitions include: Nomination for the best IROS paper award (2010) Open Source achievement award from Willow Garage (2010) Best paper award at the International Conference and Exhibition on Unmanned Areal Vehicles (2010) Best Paper award at ICRA 2009 (2009) His research is conducted through the RoCoCo lab at Sapienza University of Rome and the Autonomous Intelligent Systems Lab at Freiburg University, focusing on developing foundational algorithms for mobile robot autonomy. Current projects emphasize robust perception systems, optimization frameworks for sensor fusion, and practical implementations for real-world navigation challenges.
Mikko Valkama is a Professor at the Department of Communications Engineering , part of the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University . His research focuses on advanced wireless communication systems, positioning technologies, and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC). He holds an Orcid ID ( 0000-0003-0361-0800 ) and can be reached at mikko.valkama@tuni.fi . Research interests span 5G/6G networks , RF antenna design , deep learning for signal processing , and millimeter-wave systems . He leads projects on positioning algorithms (e.g., mmWave SLAM, NLOS mitigation), ISAC architectures, and hardware-efficient transmitter linearization. Notable contributions include works on DECT-2020 NR standards, phase-based localization, and RIS-assisted systems. In 2025 alone, his group published over 30 articles on topics such as: Antenna array design for Ka-band and wideband applications Machine learning for power amplifier predistortion Bistatic radio SLAM and mmWave mapping Covert transmission and physical-layer security His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical implementations, often validated through experimental setups (e.g., TUJI1 dataset for indoor localization). No scientific awards were explicitly listed in the provided texts.
Soo Jeon is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, part of the Faculty of Engineering. He holds a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley (2007) and prior degrees from Seoul National University. His research focuses on mechatronics, dynamic systems, and control, with applications in robotics, autonomous systems, and precision motion control. He has held roles as Assistant Professor (2009–2015), Associate Professor (2015–2024), and Full Professor (2024–present). Professor Jeon’s expertise includes intelligent sensing and control for mechatronic systems, nonlinear dynamics, and autonomous systems. He has received notable awards such as the 2022 Engineer of the Year Award (AKCSE/KOFST), 2015 NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement, and 2010 ASME Rudolf Kalman Best Paper Award. He serves as an Associate Editor for several journals, including the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems and IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering. His research interests span robotics, control systems, and automation, with recent work on autonomous navigation, tactile exploration, and model predictive control. He supervises graduate students in MASc and PhD programs and teaches courses like ME 649 (Control of Machines and Processes) and ME 360 (Introduction to Control Systems). Jeon holds patents in areas like low-power magnetic locks and remote plasma source seasoning. His lab, the Waterloo Mechanical Systems & Control Laboratory (WMSCL), focuses on advanced mechatronics and robotics projects, including collaborations with international institutions such as the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM).
Stephanie Gil is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence, robotics, and distributed systems, particularly addressing challenges in multi-agent coordination, resilience to adversarial attacks, and wireless communication for autonomous systems. She leads the REACT Lab, advancing research in resilient multi-robot networks and cyber-physical systems. Her work integrates machine learning, control theory, and wireless sensing to solve problems such as whale tracking via autonomous robots, proactive multi-robot routing, and decentralized exploration without explicit information exchange. She has received prestigious awards, including the DARPA Young Faculty Award (2024) and the Amazon Research Award (2021). Key research areas include resilient distributed optimization, trust-centered coordination in multi-agent systems, and leveraging wireless signals (e.g., WiFi-CSI) for sensing and bearing estimation. Her contributions span both theoretical frameworks and practical implementations, with a focus on real-world applications like autonomous rideshare routing and environmental monitoring. Dr. Gil’s research also explores trust and cybersecurity in dynamic networks, with publications on crowd vetting, malicious robot detection, and adaptive communication strategies. She collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, such as Project CETI, combining AI and robotics for ecological studies.
Dr. Xiao Zhou is a Research Fellow affiliated with the Professorship for Consumer Behavior at ETH Zurich. His current position began in 2021. Prior to this, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Reading (2020-2021) and completed his PhD in Consumer Behavior at the University of Copenhagen (2015-2019). His research focuses on advancing consumer behavior studies through interdisciplinary approaches, combining insights from marketing, behavioral economics, and human motion analysis. Zhou’s work emphasizes understanding decision-making processes and their applications in real-world contexts. Education history includes a PhD in Consumer Behavior from the University of Copenhagen (2015-2019), followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Reading (2020-2021). His academic trajectory reflects a strong foundation in both theoretical and applied research. His research interests span consumer behavior, marketing research methodologies, and behavioral economics. Notably, his recent publications explore cutting-edge technologies in motion capture and computer vision, including real-time human motion tracking and generative models for 3D reconstruction. This reflects a unique intersection of consumer behavior studies with technical advancements in computational methods. Zhou’s research outputs demonstrate expertise in areas such as inertial sensor-based motion analysis, physics-aware tracking systems, and hierarchical modeling techniques. His contributions highlight innovative solutions for challenges in human pose estimation and 3D reconstruction. He is currently based at ETH Zurich’s Department of Consumer Behavior, contributing to both academic research and potential industrial applications of his work.
John Folkesson is an Associate Professor at the Department of Robotics, Perception and Learning at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research focuses on mobile robotics, underwater autonomous vehicles (AUVs), and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), particularly addressing challenges in dynamic underwater environments. He leads the AUV group within the Swedish Maritime Robotics Centre (SMaRC2.0) and supervises multiple PhD projects, including those funded by Ocean Infinity and Vinnova. Folkesson has pioneered work on sonar-based SLAM, bathymetric mapping, and autonomous underwater navigation without human intervention. He teaches courses such as Probabilistic Graphical Models (DD2420) and Applied Estimation (EL2320). Recent projects include developing neural rendering techniques for sidescan SLAM and automatic launch systems for AUVs in collaboration with Purdue University and SAAB. His research emphasizes long-term autonomy, environmental ambiguity, and sensor data interpretation in unstructured underwater scenarios. Education: PhD in Robotics (2005, KTH Royal Institute of Technology) Recent Funding: 2024 projects include ALARS (Vinnova), WASP WARA-PS, and industrial collaborations. Research Interests Folkesson's work spans underwater robotics, SLAM algorithms, and sensor fusion. Key areas include: Underwater SLAM and sonar modeling Bathymetric reconstruction using neural networks Autonomous decision-making in AUV missions Real-time terrain modeling and localization Articles Trends Recent publications emphasize neural networks for SLAM optimization, sonar data processing, and autonomous underwater systems. Themes include real-time bathymetric mapping, sensor fusion in dynamic environments, and neural rendering techniques for improving navigation accuracy. Folkesson's work bridges theory and practice, with applications in marine robotics and industrial surveys. Advising & Grants PhD supervision: AUV perception (2024), SLAM with Ocean Infinity, event-response AUV systems. Collaborations: Purdue University, SAAB, Ocean Infinity. Course responsibilities: Over 10 advanced robotics and engineering courses at KTH. Labs & Teams Lead of SMaRC2.0, KTH's official research center for maritime robotics. Active in developing AUV systems for long-duration missions, including ice-covered and deep-sea exploration.
Brad Hayes is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder within the College of Engineering and Applied Science, where he directs the Collaborative AI and Robotics (CAIRO) Laboratory. He also serves as Chief Technology Officer at Circadence, leading efforts in developing AI-enabled products for cybersecurity training and assessment. Undergraduate degree from Boston College PhD in Computer Science from Yale University Postdoctoral Associate at MIT Professor Hayes' research focuses on developing techniques that enable autonomous agents and robots to learn from and collaborate with humans safely, reliably, and productively. His work occurs at the intersection of pervasive and personalized artificial intelligence, human-robot teaming, and decision support. He has made significant contributions to collaborative robotics, dependable explainable AI, and imitation learning, with applications spanning manufacturing, healthcare, disaster response, autonomous vehicles, and space exploration. His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on human-robot interaction, with particular focus on improving predictability in collaborative tasks, developing explainable AI systems that build trust, leveraging augmented and virtual reality for enhanced collaboration, and creating more efficient learning algorithms from human demonstrations. His work increasingly integrates large language models and advanced neural network architectures while maintaining a strong human-centered design approach. Sustainability Recognition (2025) for computational efficiency in motion planning Best Student Paper Runner-up at AAMAS 2022 Nominated for Best Technical Paper at HRI 2024 Best Technical Paper Runner-up at HRI 2019 Hayes has successfully mentored numerous graduate students through the CAIRO Lab, including multiple PhD graduates in 2024 alone. His lab receives funding from various organizations supporting research in human-robot interaction and collaborative AI. He frequently collaborates with industry partners and has established connections with major technology companies through his research and speaking engagements. The CAIRO Lab, under Hayes' direction, is a vibrant research environment focused on turning theoretical concepts into practical applications through hands-on work with real robots and human participants. The lab's research spans multiple domains including manufacturing, disaster response, autonomous vehicles, and space exploration, with a consistent emphasis on safe and effective human-machine teaming.
