Rice College pc scientist Lydia Kavraki has been elected to the Nationwide Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of many highest skilled honors accorded to an engineer, for her work on “growing randomized motion-planning algorithms for robotics and robotics-inspired strategies in biomedicine.”
Kavraki is Rice’s Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing, and a professor of pc science, electrical and pc engineering, mechanical engineering, and bioengineering. She additionally serves as director of the Ken Kennedy Institute, whose mission is to unravel international challenges by fostering collaborative analysis and innovation in synthetic intelligence (AI) and computing.
Kavraki’s election to the NAE acknowledges the transformative affect of her work in robotics, the place her improvement of sampling-based, motion-planning algorithms has revolutionized the sphere by decreasing planning instances from minutes to a small fraction of a second. This work underlies Kavraki’s imaginative and prescient for a world the place “robots are capable of work safely and seamlessly alongside people,” opening new frontiers in human-robot collaboration, from industrial automation to house exploration and robot-assisted surgical procedure.
“It’s an unimaginable honor to hitch this group, and this recognition is a testomony to the dedication of my college students and collaborators who’ve labored by my aspect to push the boundaries of robotics and computational biomedicine,” Kavraki mentioned. “I stay up for persevering with our work to develop clever methods that profit society.”
Kavraki’s work has had a profound affect on educational analysis and business. The Open Movement Planning Library, developed and maintained by her lab since 2008, is a necessary device broadly built-in into software program methods utilized in industrial, house and medical purposes. Her contributions to NASA’s Robonaut2 and her analysis on robots for astronaut help underscore her affect on the way forward for bodily AI. In biomedicine, her computational instruments present state-of-the-art assist for clinicians, together with on the College of Texas MD Anderson Most cancers Heart, the place Kavraki’s APE-Gen device has helped information customized immunotherapy.
“Lydia Kavraki’s election to the Nationwide Academy of Engineering is a well-deserved recognition of her groundbreaking contributions to robotics, biomedicine and synthetic intelligence,” mentioned Rice President Reginald DesRoches. “Her diligent and revolutionary work on this space has not solely superior the sphere however has additionally impressed generations of engineers and researchers. We at Rice College are immensely happy with Lydia’s achievements and the affect she continues to have on science and society.”
Past her analysis, Kavraki can also be a devoted mentor and chief. Furthermore, her dedication to AI innovation as an ethics-informed apply is underscored in latest initiatives akin to tackling the dangers of bias in knowledge and machine studying fashions for immunotherapy and privateness considerations related to robots working in human environments.
“I’m deeply grateful for the numerous alternatives I’ve been afforded at Rice – significantly the privilege of collaborating with extraordinary colleagues and college students who’ve frequently enriched and impressed my work,” Kavraki mentioned. “I share this distinction with my college students, whose dedication and creativity have been pivotal in my journey, and with my household who has supported me each step of the way in which. I additionally prolong my heartfelt due to the colleagues who supported my nomination. I stay up for working with fellow NAE members, combining our collective experience to uplift and enhance our world.”
Kavraki, a member of the Nationwide Academy of Medication and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is the recipient of quite a few awards and distinctions, together with recognition as a fellow of the American Affiliation for the Development of Science, the Affiliation for the Development of Synthetic Intelligence and the American Institute for Medical and Organic Engineering. She has authored over 400 analysis publications and a robotics textbook. Throughout her tenure at Rice, she has mentored over 30 PhD college students and 20 postdocs, whereas she has supervised greater than 100 undergraduates on analysis initiatives.
“Lydia’s election to the Nationwide Academy of Engineering is a testomony to her groundbreaking contributions to robotics, AI and biomedical computing,” mentioned Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of the George R. Brown College of Engineering and Computing. “She has formed the sphere and had a profound affect on society by means of her cutting-edge analysis, excellent mentoring and intensive service to the tutorial group at giant. Lydia operates at a degree of excellence all of us aspire to, and we’re extremely proud that she is part of the Rice Engineering and Computing group.”
Kavraki is amongst 128 new U.S. members and 22 worldwide members elected to the NAE’s 2025 class. The newly elected members can be formally inducted throughout the NAE’s annual assembly on Oct. 5, 2025.
The listing of all newly elected members might be seen on the group web site.
Kavraki joins 16 Rice college who’re members of the academy — present college members Pedro Alvarez, Richard Baraniuk, DesRoches, Abbas Firoozabadi, Gene Frantz, Naomi Halas, Karen Lozano, Antonios Mikos, Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Pol Spanos, Richard Tapia, Jim Tour and Moshe Vardi — together with professors emeritus George Hirasaki and Ronald Nordgren.
