Professor Alan J Murphy is a leading academic in Maritime Engineering at the University of Southampton. He holds a First-Class BEng in Naval Architecture and a PhD in Experimental Hydrodynamics. His research focuses on decarbonizing maritime systems, emission reduction, and sustainable propulsion technologies. He has held leadership roles including Head of the Marine, Offshore and Subsea Technology Group at Newcastle University and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Maritime Engineering. Education: BEng Naval Architecture (Newcastle University), PhD Experimental Hydrodynamics (University of Southampton) Affiliations: Royal Institution of Naval Architects Fellow, Worshipful Company of Shipwrights Liveryman Research interests include net-zero maritime propulsion, energy efficiency, and policy/regulation for sustainable shipping. He has supervised numerous PhD students and contributed to major projects such as the establishment of Newcastle University’s Singapore campus. Publications span topics like electrified port systems, alternative marine fuels, and underwater vehicle navigation. Awards include the Stanley Grey Fellowship and Froude Scholarship.
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.
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.
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. Jose Luis SANCHEZ LOPEZ is a Research Scientist at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) of the University of Luxembourg, leading the Aerial Robotics Lab (AeRoLab) within the Automation & Robotics Research Group (ARG). He joined SnT in 2017 as a Postdoc Research Associate, promoted to Research Scientist in 2021. His research focuses on autonomous robotics, particularly aerial systems, emphasizing situational awareness, SLAM, and trajectory planning. Education: Ph.D. in Robotics (2017), M.Sc. in Automation & Robotics (2012), and Engineering degree in Industrial Engineering (2010), all from the Technical University of Madrid. Visiting Research: Arizona State University (2012), LAAS-CNRS (2014–2016). Research Interests: Multi-agent robotic systems, sensor fusion, localization/mapping, computer vision, machine learning, and trajectory control. He has authored over 56 peer-reviewed publications, with an h-index of 18. Projects: Leads projects like DEUS (PI), NEDA, ÄerdFly (PI), and RoboSAUR. Contributions span European, Luxembourg, and Spain-funded initiatives, focusing on autonomous systems, 5G integration, and construction-site robotics. Teaching: Lectured in MICS, BiCS, BING (Uni.lu) and GITI (UPM). Actively involved in academic service as a reviewer, editor, and competition participant (e.g., IMAV, IARC). Outreach: National Coordinator for Luxembourg’s Robotics European Week, promotes robotics education in schools and public events.
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).
Peng Zhou is an Assistant Professor at the School of Advanced Engineering, The Great Bay University , and the Principal Investigator of the Embodied Manipulation Intelligence (EMAIL) Robotics Lab . His research integrates robotics, machine learning, and computer vision, with a strong focus on deformable object manipulation, robot perception, and task-motion planning. Education: Ph.D. in Robotics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Supervised by Dr. David Navarro-Alarcon) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Hong Kong (Advised by Dr. Pan Jia) Exchange Ph.D. Student, KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Supervised by Prof. Danica Kragic) Research Interests: Dr. Zhou's work spans robotics , machine learning , and computer vision , with specialized expertise in deformable object manipulation , robot perception and learning , and task and motion planning . His lab, EMAIL, pioneers solutions for robotic manipulation of soft and deformable materials. Scientific Awards & Honors: 2024 : Track 3 Champion, Zhuhai International Dexterous Manipulation Challenge 2023 : IEEE R10 Outstanding Volunteer Award 2022 : Outstanding Young Researcher Award, National Engineering Research Center 2022 : Best AI Implementation Award, Hong Kong AI Open Competition 2022 : IEEE MGA Young Professional Achievement Award Editorial & Leadership Roles: Dr. Zhou serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters and has organized key workshops like the IROS 2025 Workshop on Contact and Impact-aware Manipulation . He is also a Guest Editor for special issues in Electronics and Frontiers in Robotics and AI .
Professor Lyudmila Mihaylova is a distinguished academic at the University of Sheffield's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, where she holds the position of Professor of Signal Processing and Control. She has established herself as a leading researcher in the fields of signal processing, Bayesian methods, and autonomous systems, with significant contributions to particle filtering techniques for intelligent transportation systems. Her work bridges theoretical developments with practical applications across multiple domains including transportation, healthcare, and industrial automation. Prof. Mihaylova's research interests center on nonlinear filtering, sequential Monte Carlo methods, statistical signal processing, and sensor data fusion. Her work spans both theoretical advancements and practical implementations, with particular focus on high-dimensional problems including vehicular traffic flow estimation, image processing, and localization in sensor networks. She has extensive experience with various image modalities such as optical, thermal, LIDAR, SAR, and hyperspectral imaging. Her group actively develops novel methods for autonomous intelligent systems focusing on sensing, tracking, decision making, and machine learning applications. Analysis of Prof. Mihaylova's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward uncertainty quantification in machine learning models, particularly for safety-critical applications. Her work increasingly integrates traditional signal processing techniques with modern deep learning approaches, with applications spanning sewer inspection robotics, medical diagnostics (particularly sleep apnea detection), UAV swarm tracking, industrial manufacturing, and autonomous vehicle systems. A significant portion of her recent research focuses on developing robust methods that can handle incomplete or outlier-corrupted data while providing reliable uncertainty estimates. Among her notable professional achievements: President of the International Society of Information Fusion (ISIF) Senior member of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems Associate Editor for Elsevier Signal Processing Journal Prof. Mihaylova has successfully mentored numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to prominent academic and industry positions. Her research has been supported by major funding bodies including EPSRC, EU, MOD/DSTL, and industry partners, with recent projects including 'Protecting Environments with UAV Swarms' (InnovateUK, 2022-2024), 'ShiRAS: Towards Safe and Reliable Autonomy in Sensor Driven Systems' (NSF-EPSRC, 2019-2023), and 'Confident safety integration for Cobots' (Lloyd's Register Foundation, 2019-2020). Her research group follows a collaborative approach with the philosophy 'We share knowledge, we grow.' Prof. Mihaylova maintains active research collaborations with institutions worldwide and has held previous academic positions at Lancaster University (2006-2013) and University of Bristol (2004-2006), along with research visiting positions at the University of Ghent, Katholic University of Leuven, and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Keenan Albee is a Robotics Technologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an incoming Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California (starting Fall 2025). His research focuses on autonomous robotics for extreme environments including lunar missions, microgravity, and underwater operations. Education: Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics (Autonomous Systems), MIT (2022) S.M. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT (2019) B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University (2017) Albee’s work integrates optimal control , reinforcement learning , and motion planning to develop autonomy for mobile robotic systems operating under uncertainty. His expertise spans space robotics , microgravity systems , and underwater robotics , with a focus on environment-aware algorithm design. Recent research includes parametric information-aware motion planning (RATTLE algorithm), distributed multi-agent exploration, and robust control for uncooperative targets. His publications highlight on-orbit validation of autonomy algorithms via NASA’s Astrobee platform and upcoming lunar missions. Scientific Awards: NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (2022) Albee actively develops open-source autonomy frameworks and will establish the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems in Exploration and Robotics (LASER) at USC. His work bridges theoretical control methods with real-world deployment, including first-of-its-kind achievements in space robotics.
Marc Pollefeys is a Full Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich and Director of the Microsoft Mixed Reality and AI Zurich Lab. He has held roles such as Visiting Professor at Stanford University (2007) and Assistant/Associate Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill (2002–2009). His research focuses on 3D computer vision, robotics, machine learning, and augmented reality. Education: PhD in Computer Science from KU Leuven (1999), followed by postdoctoral research there until 2002. He transitioned to academic roles at UNC-Chapel Hill before joining ETH Zurich in 2007. Research interests include 3D reconstruction, visual localization, SLAM, and applications in archaeology, urban modeling, and robotics. Notable projects include real-time 3D scanning, city-scale reconstruction, and autonomous vision-based drones. Key awards include ACM Fellow (2022), IEEE Fellow (2012), and ERC Starting Grant (2008). He advises numerous PhD students and collaborates with institutions like Google and Microsoft. Labs and teams: Leads the Computer Vision and Geometry (CVG) lab at ETH Zurich and directs the Microsoft Mixed Reality and AI Lab. His work bridges academia and industry, focusing on perception for mixed reality and autonomous systems.
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.
Luis Sentis is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin and holds the Frank and Kay Reese Endowed Professorship in Engineering . He leads the Human Centered Robotics Laboratory, focusing on control systems, human-robot interaction, and exoskeleton robotics. His affiliations include UT Austin's Good Systems initiative and Apptronik Systems as an innovation advisor. Ph.D. , Electrical Engineering, Stanford University B.S. , Telecommunications and Electronics Engineering, Polytechnic University of Catalonia His research spans humanoid robotics , agile manipulation , autonomous systems , and human-robot teaming . Recent work emphasizes FAIR datasets , EEG monitoring , and collision detection for legged robots, with applications in industrial automation and ethical AI. Scientific awards include the NASA Elite Team Award and La Caixa Foundation Fellowship . Funding sources include DARPA , NSF , NASA , and ONR .
Dr. João Henriques is a Research Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) at the Visual Geometry Group (VGG), University of Oxford. His research focuses on advancing computer vision, deep learning, and robotics, particularly in areas like 3D scene understanding, reinforcement learning, and multi-agent systems. He is renowned for developing the KCF and SiameseFC visual trackers, which won the VOT Challenge and are deployed in consumer hardware. His work spans 3D geometry, self-supervised learning, causal inference, and neuro-symbolic systems. Key contributions include methods for egocentric video analysis, unsupervised reconstruction, and robot navigation. He leads the VGG's research on neural feature fields, hierarchical scene understanding, and real-time 3D perception. Recent publications emphasize 3D-aware segmentation, universal place recognition, and neuro-symbolic world modeling for robotics. His research often bridges theoretical guarantees with practical applications, such as medical imaging and autonomous systems. Dr. Henriques collaborates with industry and academia on AI ethics, friendly AI, and interpretable learning. His lab hosts DPhil students advancing creative AI applications, such as generative models for gameplay design and LLM evaluations in real-world editorial workflows.
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.
John Valasek is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, holding the Drs. L. Diane '88 and John E. Hurtado '91 Professorship. He directs the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory (VSCL) and serves as Site Director for the NSF Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing (CAAMS) and the FAA Center for General Aviation Research (PEGASAS). His research focuses on autonomous control systems, UAV navigation, and cybersecurity for aerospace vehicles. Valasek earned his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas (1995) and California State Polytechnic University (1986). Education: Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas - 1995 M.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Kansas - 1990 B.S., Aerospace Engineering, California State Polytechnic University - 1986 Research Interests: Autonomous systems, nonlinear control, vision-based navigation, UAV control, bio-nano materials control, and aerospace systems engineering. Key Contributions: Over 100 invited lectures/seminars, leadership in NSF-funded research centers, and development of advanced control algorithms for aerospace systems. Notable publications include work on reinforcement learning for autonomous systems and real-time system identification for UAS. Awards: John Leland Atwood Award (2015) McElmurry Outstanding Teaching Award (2001, 2004, 2014) Engineering Hall of Fame inductee (2019) Advising & Grants: Advised over 60 graduate students, including recent NSF GRFP winner Evelyn Madewell. PI on multi-million-dollar grants, including the NSF CAAMS project and Air Force-funded research on autonomous systems. Labs & Teams: Directs the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory (VSCL), focusing on low-cost attritable aircraft technology and autonomy. Collaborates with industry partners like Stratolaunch and VectorNav through CAAMS initiatives.
