Oussama Khatib
Professor, Department of Computer Science
Oussama Khatib received his PhD from Sup'Aero, Toulouse, France, in 1980. He is
Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Robotics Laboratory at Stanford
University. His research in robotics focuses on novel control architectures, algorithms, sensing, and human-friendly designs for advanced capabilities in complex environments. With an emphasis on enabling robots to interact cooperatively and safely with humans and the physical world, these studies bring understanding of human movement for therapy, athletic training, and performance enhancement. This work on understanding human cognitive task representation and physical skills is enabling transfer for increased robot autonomy. With these core capabilities, we are exploring applications in healthcare and wellness, industry and service, farms and smart cities, and dangerous and unreachable settings – deep in oceans, mines, and space. He is President of the International Foundation of Robotics Research (IFRR) and a Fellow of IEEE. He is Editor of the Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR) series, and the
Springer Handbook of Robotics, awarded the American Publishers Award for
Excellence in Physical Sciences and Mathematics. He is recipient of the IEEE Robotics
and Automation (IEEE/RAS) Pioneering Award (for his fundamental contributions in
robotics research, visionary leadership, and life-long commitment to the field), the
IEEE/RAS George Saridis Leadership Award, the Distinguished Service Award, the Japan Robot Association (JARA) Award, the Rudolf Kalman Award, the IEEE
Technical Field Award, and the Engelberger Award. Professor Khatib is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.