Rice University faculty member Lydia Kavraki has been named a Distinguished Lecturer by the IEEE’s Robotics and Automation Society (RAS). She is the Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing, Director of the Ken Kennedy Institute, and Professor of Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Bioengineering at Rice University.
During Kavraki’s three-year appointment, which runs from January 2025 through December 2027, RAS provides funding for her to present on robotics research to chapters that may not otherwise have the opportunity to host an international speaker.
“It is a great honor for me to be selected for this role,” said Kavraki, whose robotics research centers on motion planning. “I look forward to connecting with IEEE Robotics and Automation Chapters to talk about my research, robotics research more broadly, and how to work toward a future where robots will work in the service of people.”
Distinguished Lecturers are “renowned leading figures in the robotics community,” according to IEEE’s RAS, and this appointment allows them “to share their knowledge, expertise, and insights into the future of robotics” with RAS chapters internationally.
Kavraki is one of two RAS lecturers in Algorithms for Planning and Control of Robot Motion. Other RAS Distinguished Lecturer categories include Haptics, Telerobotics, Automation in Logistics, Cyborg & Bionic Systems, and Micro/Nano Robotics and Automation.
IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization and is “dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.” The international organization includes 47 Societies and Technical Councils and ten worldwide geographic Regions.