Philippos Mordohai is Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stevens Institute of Technology's Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California and conducts research in geometric computer vision, 3D reconstruction, and robotic perception. His research combines machine learning and parallel programming to develop novel approaches for depth estimation, scene understanding, and autonomous navigation. Current projects include real-time dense mapping for underwater environments and domain generalization for stereo matching algorithms. Dr. Mordohai serves as associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence and has chaired multiple international computer vision conferences. His research has been supported by NSF, DOE, and Google, with applications in robotics, mixed reality, and autonomous systems.
Dr. Todd D. Murphey is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University's Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He serves as Director of Transformative Research and Director of the Master of Science in Robotics Program at Northwestern, leading initiatives in computational dynamics, control systems, and robotics. His work bridges engineering, neuroscience, and biomedical applications, with a focus on developing systems that interact effectively with humans and their environments. Dr. Murphey received his Ph.D. in Control and Dynamical Systems from the California Institute of Technology in 2002, with a thesis titled "Control of Multiple Model Systems." Prior to that, he earned a B.S. in Mathematics, summa cum laude, from the University of Arizona in 1997. Dr. Murphey's research centers on computational methods in dynamics and control, with applications spanning neuroscience, health science, robotics, and automation. His work in the Interactive & Emergent Autonomy Lab focuses on computational models of embedded control, biomechanical simulation, dynamic exploration, and hybrid control. The group develops mathematical approaches that lead to orders of magnitude improvement in computational efficiency for real-time implementation. Key application areas include assistive exoskeleton control, stabilization of energy networks, bio-inspired active sensing, entertainment robots, robotic exploration, and software-enabled stroke rehabilitation. Analysis of Dr. Murphey's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on human-swarm interaction, algorithmic matter, and control of cyber-physical systems in uncertain environments. His work increasingly integrates information theory with physical systems, exploring how both autonomous and biological systems interact with environments to learn and improve behaviors. Recent trends show growing applications in rehabilitation technology, with particular focus on human-machine interaction in biomedical devices and embodied intelligence. Dr. Murphey has received numerous honors and awards for his contributions to robotics and engineering: Named Director of Transformative Research at Northwestern University (2025) Appointed IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Vice President of Publication Activities (2022) Co-recipient of Best Paper Award for IEEE Transactions on Robotics (2020) Appointed to Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (2019) Recipient of ABB Best Student Paper Award for CPL-SLAM research (2019) Cole-Higgins Award from Northwestern Engineering (2015) Dr. Murphey has supervised numerous graduate students including Taosha Fan, Giorgos Mamakoukas, and Ian Abraham, with research spanning robotic exploration using electrosense and mechanical contact, human-in-the-loop control, and shared control for rehabilitation devices. His lab has secured significant funding from the National Science Foundation, DARPA, and industry partners including Siemens and Ekso Bionics, supporting research in algorithmic matter, emergent behavior, and human-swarm collaboration. The Interactive & Emergent Autonomy Lab, led by Dr. Murphey, investigates how both autonomous systems and biological systems interact with their environments to learn and improve behaviors. Current projects include active learning and data-driven control, active perception in human-swarm collaboration, algorithmic matter and emergent computation, control for nonlinear and hybrid systems, cyber physical systems in uncertain environments, harmonious navigation in human crowds, information maximizing clinical diagnostics, reactive learning in underwater exploration, robot-assisted rehabilitation, and software-enabled biomedical devices. The lab collaborates with researchers across Northwestern and institutions including Georgia Tech, MIT, and industry partners.
Esa Rahtu is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University, Finland. His research focuses on computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning applications. He leads projects in image coding, neural networks, 3D reconstruction, object pose estimation, and anomaly detection. Rahtu has contributed to over 98 research outputs since 2017, with recent work emphasizing Gaussian splatting for SLAM, neural radiance fields, and hybrid video codecs for human-machine compatibility. His expertise spans visual-inertial odometry (e.g., ADVIO dataset), LiDAR-based place recognition, and manufacturing quality control systems. Key areas include: 3D scene reconstruction using Gaussian splatting techniques Deep learning models for anomaly detection in industrial processes Hybrid video codecs optimizing human perception and machine processing Multi-sensor fusion for robotic navigation and indoor mapping Notable datasets include ADVIO for visual-inertial odometry and FIORD for 3D reconstruction benchmarking. His research aligns with UN SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) through advancements in smart manufacturing and educational technology. Rahtu has received continuous research funding, including a grant period from April to June 2018. His work emphasizes practical applications, collaborating on real-world challenges like paper manufacturing quality control and smartphone-based 3D reconstruction.
Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng serves as Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Chair Professor in Positioning and Navigation Systems at Imperial College London. He directs the Centre for Active Resilience and Security (CARS) and maintains key affiliations with the Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation, Centre for Transport Engineering and Modelling, Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering, and Space Lab. His extensive advisory roles include the Science Museum Group Board of Trustees, Royal Institute of Navigation Presidency, and Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Steering Committee. His educational background includes a BSc (First Class) in Engineering from the University of Nairobi and MSc (Distinction) and PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Nottingham. He received an honorary DSc from Technical University of Kenya in 2023. Ochieng's research pioneers critical infrastructure resilience, user-centric mobility, and positioning/navigation/timing (PNT) systems. He has designed satellite navigation systems (including Europe's EGNOS and GALILEO) for multi-domain applications and advanced Air Traffic Management and Intelligent Transport Systems. His work integrates geomatics, transportation engineering, and sustainable mobility to solve global urban infrastructure challenges, with recent emphasis on decarbonization and AI-driven solutions. His 2024-2025 publications reveal strong trends in sustainable transportation decarbonization, AI-optimized traffic management, and resilient urban positioning systems. Research focuses on hydrogen fuel cell trains, carbon-efficient aviation, and deep reinforcement learning applications for emission reduction, demonstrating interdisciplinary integration of engineering, environmental science, and artificial intelligence to address climate challenges. Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2013) Harold Spencer-Jones Gold Medal from Royal Institute of Navigation (2019) Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from Technical University of Kenya (2023) Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS) from Kenya (2023) Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) (2024) Ochieng provides strategic guidance to UK Government bodies (Government Office for Science, Department for Transport, FCDO), European Parliament, and European Court of Auditors. His advisory work shaped the Blackett Review on Satellite-derived Time/Position, UK Space Strategy, and Future of Mobility report. He chairs the Science Museum London Advisory Board and leads FCDO's Sustainable Urban Economic Development program in Africa, with significant grant influence through UK National Physical Laboratory and Department for International Development. He directs the Centre for Active Resilience and Security (CARS) and leads Space Lab initiatives, focusing on mission-critical PNT systems and infrastructure resilience. His teams collaborate with international consortia including RTCM Special Committee 134 and US Institute of Navigation, developing next-generation navigation solutions for safety-critical applications across transport, aviation, and urban environments.
Davide Scaramuzza is a Professor and Director of the Robotics and Perception Group at the University of Zurich. He holds a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich and has conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford. His research focuses on autonomous drone navigation using visual and event-based sensors, leading to breakthroughs like AI drones outperforming human pilots in racing (Nature 2023). He pioneered algorithms for Mars helicopter navigation and developed the PX4 autopilot system. Key awards include the Kiyo-Tomiyasu IEEE Technical Field Award (2024), ERC Consolidator Grant (2019), and multiple best paper awards. His entrepreneurial ventures include co-founding Zurich-Eye (later Meta Zurich) and SUIND for agricultural drones. He co-authored the textbook Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots , widely used in academia. Research spans event camera algorithms, visual-inertial SLAM, and reinforcement learning for agile flight. His lab's work is featured in IEEE Spectrum, The Guardian, and Forbes. He advises UN initiatives on AI for disaster response and nuclear safety. Current projects include Graph-Generating State Space Models (CVPR 2024) and event-based vision for automotive systems (Nature 2024).
Nabil Aouf is a Professor of Robotics and Autonomous Systems in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at City, University of London, a position he has held since January 2019. Previously, from 2006 to 2018, he was Professor of Autonomous Systems at Cranfield University’s Defence and Security campus, where he also served as Head of the System and Autonomy Group and Research Lead of the Centre of Electronic Warfare, Information and Cyber. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from McGill University Faculty of Engineering between 1999 and 2002. His research focuses on Robotics, Autonomous Systems, UAV Navigation, Computer Vision, and Fault-Tolerant Control . Key areas include visual odometry, sensor fusion (vision/IMU, RGBD, thermal-visible), robust control for UAVs, fault diagnosis in inertial systems, 3D perception, and autonomous landing. His work integrates theoretical control methods with real-time implementation in aerospace and defense contexts. His recent publications reflect a strong emphasis on robust optimization, multispectral vision, and real-time autonomous navigation. Trends indicate a focus on enhancing autonomy under uncertainty—through illumination-invariant stereo matching, L∞ optimization, and robust feature matching—particularly for UAVs operating in challenging environments. Nabil Aouf has collaborated extensively with researchers such as M. Richardson, O. Araar, T. Mouats, and M. Boulekchour across numerous projects in UAV control, sensor fusion, and autonomy. While no scientific awards are listed in the provided text, his leadership roles and sustained publication record in high-impact journals and conferences underscore his academic contributions. He has supervised or collaborated with several advisees including S.H. Almutairi, L. Chermak, I. Vitanov, and D. Nam, contributing to both theoretical developments and practical implementations in autonomous systems. His work has applications in aerospace, defense, planetary exploration, and critical infrastructure inspection.
Karthik Dantu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, within the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. His research focuses on mobile sensor networks, robot networks, networked embedded systems, mobile computing, wireless networks, and embedded operating systems. He leads the Distributed Robotics and Networked Embedded Sensing (DRONES) Lab and has received significant funding including an NSF CAREER Award. Dr. Dantu's educational background includes: PhD in Computer Science from University of Southern California (2009) BE in Computer Science from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (1999) His research interests center on algorithmic and systems challenges in Edge Computing Systems, with particular focus on enabling seamless vision sensing in cloud-edge environments. Dantu's work bridges mobile systems and robotics, developing novel approaches for UAV software, visual SLAM, and distributed sensing. His research addresses critical challenges in resource-constrained environments, security, and real-time performance for mobile and robotic systems, with emphasis on practical implementations that solve real-world problems in autonomous systems. Dr. Dantu's publication record shows a strong trajectory in mobile systems and robotics research, with increasing focus on edge computing applications for visual sensing. His recent work demonstrates expertise in adapting visual SLAM to edge environments, securing mobile systems through technologies like Rushmore, and developing novel approaches for UAV software reliability and depth sensing. The research spans theoretical algorithms and practical system implementations, with particular strength in bringing academic research to practical applications in robotics and mobile computing. Dr. Dantu has received several scientific honors: NSF CAREER Award on Enabling Seamless Vision Sensing in Cloud-Edge Systems Outstanding service award from the Office of International Services NSF Travel Grant for SenSys 2005 Conference Travel Grant for SIGCOMM 2002 As an advisor, Dr. Dantu has mentored numerous PhD students to completion, with graduates now working at companies like Samsung Research and Zoox Inc., or continuing academic careers as Assistant Professors. His research is supported by substantial grants including a DARPA OFFSET Sprint 4 award ($470k), an NSF CAREER award ($550k), and multiple NSF collaborative grants totaling over $1.5 million. He serves on numerous conference committees including Mobicom, MobiSys, and ICRA, demonstrating leadership in the mobile systems and robotics research communities. Dr. Dantu leads the Distributed Robotics and Networked Embedded Sensing (DRONES) Lab at UB, which focuses on developing algorithms and systems for mobile sensor networks, robot networks, and embedded sensing applications. The lab's work spans theoretical foundations to practical implementations, with particular expertise in UAV systems, visual SLAM, and edge computing for robotics, maintaining strong collaborations with industry partners and other academic institutions to advance the state of the art in mobile and robotic systems.
Guoquan Huang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware. He holds a B.Eng. in Automation from the University of Science and Technology, Beijing (2002), and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Robotics from the University of Minnesota (2009 and 2012). Prior to his current role, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). His research focuses on robotics, computer vision, and autonomous systems, emphasizing probabilistic perception, estimation, and control for ground, aerial, and underwater vehicles. He leads the development of the OpenVINS platform for visual-inertial estimation and has contributed to advancements in SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), sensor fusion, and multi-robot coordination. Education: B.Eng in Automation (Electrical Engineering), University of Science and Technology, Beijing, 2002 M.Sc. in Robotics, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2009 Ph.D. in Robotics, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2012 His research interests span robotics, computer vision, and autonomous systems , with a focus on: Visual-inertial navigation and SLAM Sensor fusion (LiDAR, IMU, camera) Autonomous vehicle control and safety Multi-robot cooperative localization His recent publications (2023–2025) emphasize robust algorithms for navigation in GPS-denied environments, real-time sensor calibration, and dataset development for aerial visual localization. He has pioneered techniques like decoupled error-state estimation and consistent parallel frameworks for SLAM. Labs/Teams: Leads the development of the OpenVINS research platform, focusing on visual-inertial state estimation. Collaborates on projects involving human-swarm interactions and resilient ground vehicle navigation.
Dr. Danesh Tarapore is an Associate Professor at the University of Southampton specializing in robotics and AI. He focuses on human-robot interaction, swarm intelligence, and autonomous systems. His current research involves developing resilient robotic teams and optimizing learning algorithms for constrained environments. He supervises 6 PhD students in the iPhD MINDS and Computer Science programs. Dr. Tarapore's work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in autonomous navigation, multimodal dataset creation, and quality-diversity optimization. His publications span conferences like HRI and journals in robotics and AI. He collaborates with institutions like the University Hospital Southampton and the Boldrewood Innovation Campus. Research Interests: Human-robot collaboration, swarm systems, machine learning, and adaptive control Key Contributions: HRI-SENSE dataset, evolutionary subset selection algorithms, forest navigation frameworks Grants and Funding: Active projects in multi-agent systems and resilient robotics Dr. Tarapore maintains active roles in the robotics community through conference participation and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Pawel Ladosz is a Lecturer in Engineering Systems for Robotics at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The University of Manchester. His research focuses on applying machine learning and computer vision to mobile robots, particularly in extreme environments such as total darkness or cluttered spaces. He is actively involved in developing autonomous navigation systems, wireless signal mapping, and high-level decision-making for robotic swarms. He teaches courses including Robotic Systems Design Project and Autonomous Mobile Robots. Education: PhD in Establishing and Optimising Unmanned Airborne Relay Networks (Loughborough University, 2014–2019) MEng in Aerospace Engineering (The University of Manchester, 2010–2014) Research Interests: Ladosz’s work emphasizes reinforcement learning for robotics, vision-based autonomous systems, and exploration in challenging environments. His projects often intersect with UN Sustainable Development Goals, contributing to innovations in robotic autonomy and sensor networks. Awards: He received the 2nd Autonomous Flying Technology Competition award in 2021, recognizing his contributions to autonomous flight systems. His research has also led to the establishment of the Centre for Robotic Autonomy in Demanding and Long-Lasting Environments (CRADLE), fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations. Grants & Projects: As Principal Investigator in the Aerospace Engineering initiative (2010–2035), he explores UAV communication networks and trajectory planning. His work addresses urban environment challenges, including relay positioning and signal prediction. Labs/Teams: Ladosz contributes to CRADLE, advancing robotic autonomy in extreme scenarios. His lab focuses on integrating AI and robotics for real-world applications.
Adriano Jorge Cardoso Moreira is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at the Department of Information Systems, School of Engineering, Universidade do Minho, Portugal. He is also a Senior Researcher at the Algoritmi Research Centre and Scientific Coordinator of the Urban and Mobile Computing department at Centro de Computação Gráfica. His research focuses on indoor positioning , mobile and context-aware computing , urban computing , and simulation of wireless networks . Research Interests : Indoor Positioning, Mobile Computing, Urban Mobility, Sensor Networks, Wi-Fi and UWB Localization, Smart Cities. Leadership : Coordinated the Computer Communications and Pervasive Media Group (2008-2016), Scientific Committee member (Director of MAP-tele PhD program in multiple terms), and leads the Master in Telecommunications and Informatics since 2021. Publications : Over 100 papers, including IEEE Transactions and Sensors journal articles, with an h-index of 23 and 2136 citations. Awards : First and second prizes in EvAAL-ETRI Indoor Localization Competitions (2015, 2016, 2017).
Luis Merino Cabañas is a Professor at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide , affiliated with the Deporte e Informática department and leading the SRL Service Robotics Laboratory . His research focuses on robotics, systems engineering, and automation, with a specialization in human-robot interaction and path planning. Education : PhD in Systems Engineering from the Universidad de Sevilla (2007), where his thesis explored cooperative perception techniques for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in forest fire detection. Research Trends : Recent work (2023–2025) emphasizes 3D path planning, sensor fusion (LiDAR, radar, inertial systems), neural distance fields for safe navigation, and socially aware robotics. His studies integrate AI, genetic programming, and multi-modal perception for applications in construction, healthcare, and GNSS-denied environments. Labs & Teams : He leads the SRL Service Robotics Laboratory , contributing to projects like the Skyeye team and BIM2ROS integration for construction robotics.
Dr Sean Anderson is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering , University of Sheffield , with over 15 years of experience in interdisciplinary research spanning robotics, control systems, and computational biology. He earned his MEng and PhD from the University of Sheffield, focusing on control systems and chemical engineering. Education: MEng in Control Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield (2001) PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Sheffield (2005) Research Interests include: Bioinspired robotics Adaptive and optimal control in biological systems Nonlinear system identification Computational neuroscience Acoustic and visual sensor fusion for localization His recent publications highlight innovations in robotic localization in hazardous environments, interpretable deep learning for control systems, acoustic sensing technologies, and data-driven modeling of complex systems. Key projects involve autonomous navigation in pipe networks, turbulence modeling, and biomedical signal processing. Grants and Funding: He has secured major grants from EU H2020 (£4M), EU FP7 (£2.9M), and EPSRC (£5.7M), focusing on bioinspired control algorithms, robotic safety, and infrastructure assessment. Teaching: He leads the ACS61011 Deep Learning module, emphasizing practical applications in robotics and signal processing.
Nikolas Brasch is a PhD candidate and researcher at the Chair of Computer Aided Medical Procedures (CAMP) within the Department of Informatics at the Technical University of Munich. He is affiliated with the research group led by Prof. Nassir Navab and maintains his office at Boltzmannstr. 3, 85748 Garching b. München, Room 5613.03.039. Brasch's research centers on 3D computer vision with emphasis on SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) and 3D scene understanding. His work bridges computer vision with medical applications, particularly in medical augmented reality and surgical robotics. He has developed innovative approaches for improving depth estimation in challenging environments and creating robust SLAM systems that maintain accuracy in dynamic settings. His publication record shows a consistent trajectory in advancing 3D vision techniques with practical applications in medical contexts. His research demonstrates particular strength in sensor fusion techniques and semantic understanding of 3D environments. Wild ToFu: Improving Range and Quality of Indirect Time-of-Flight Depth with RGB Fusion in Challenging Environments (2021) Structure-SLAM: Low-Drift Monocular SLAM in Indoor Environments (2020) Semantic Monocular SLAM for Highly Dynamic Environments (2018) As an educator, Brasch serves as a teaching assistant for the Praktikum on 3D Computer Vision course at TUM. He mentors students on various thesis projects related to 3D vision, human pose estimation, and semantic reconstructions, typically collaborating with Prof. Federico Tombari. His teaching activities reflect his research expertise and commitment to training the next generation of computer vision researchers.
Brendan Englot is the Anson Wood Burchard Endowed Professor and Director of the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI) at Stevens Institute of Technology. He holds a Ph.D., S.M., and S.B. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. His research focuses on perception, navigation, and decision-making algorithms for mobile robots in complex environments, particularly underwater and autonomous systems. He has held roles such as Professor (2024–present), Associate Professor (2020–2024), and Assistant Professor (2014–2020) at Stevens, and previously worked at the United Technologies Research Center and Yale University. Education: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2012 S.M., Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2009 S.B., Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2007 Research Interests: Englot’s work emphasizes robust autonomy for unmanned vehicles in degraded conditions, leveraging AI to enhance situational awareness and decision-making under uncertainty. Key areas include navigation algorithms for underwater, aerial, and ground vehicles, sensor fusion, and multi-agent systems. Awards: AMiner’s Top 100 Robotics Scholars (2023, 2024) Provost’s Award for Research Excellence (2021) NSF CAREER Award (2017) ONR Young Investigator Award (2020) Grants & Advising: Englot has secured over $5M in grants as PI, including projects on underwater exploration, reinforcement learning for navigation, and robotic inspection systems. He mentors students in robotics, autonomy, and AI applications. Labs & Teams: Leads the SIAI and collaborates on projects involving autonomous vehicles, SLAM systems, and marine robotics through Stevens’ interdisciplinary initiatives.
