MIT Media Lab has announced the groundbreaking appointment of Cynthia Breazeal as full professor and associate director, effective July 1. She joins Hiroshi Ishii and Andrew Lippman in this prestigious leadership position, marking a significant milestone for the renowned research institution.
In her groundbreaking new role, Breazeal will spearhead strategic research initiatives across the Media Lab, focusing particularly on advancing human-robot interaction pioneer Cynthia Breazeal's vision. Her responsibilities include developing innovative funding mechanisms to support cross-disciplinary research collaborations and experimental educational programs throughout MIT's campus.
"Cynthia brings tremendous energy, creativity, and intellectual prowess to this position," states Pattie Maes, chair of the lab's executive committee. "She has already launched collaborative brainstorming sessions addressing critical areas from tele-creativity to sustainable communities and climate change solutions."
As a leader in AI education K-12 learning platforms, Breazeal recently spearheaded a groundbreaking MIT collaboration between the Media Lab, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, and MIT Open Learning. This initiative resulted in aieducation.mit.edu, an innovative online platform offering K-12 students engaging activities to learn about artificial intelligence with emphasis on responsible AI design and development.
While embracing these new leadership responsibilities, Breazeal continues to direct the Media Lab's Personal Robots research group, which focuses on developing personal social robots for education and healthcare. These cutting-edge robots demonstrate meaningful impact across various sectors, from serving as educational aids for children to providing assistance for elderly individuals at home.
Recognized globally as a pioneer in social robotics, Breazeal's influential book "Designing Sociable Robots" (MIT Press, 2002) helped launch the entire field of human-robot interaction. Her numerous accolades include AAAI Fellowship recognition, the National Academy of Engineering's Gilbreth Lecture Award, and features in TIME Magazine's Best Inventions list. Fortune Magazine has also recognized her as one of the Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs.
Breazeal's educational background includes a BS in electrical and computer engineering from UC Santa Barbara, along with MS and ScD degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, positioning her perfectly to lead MIT Media Lab's AI innovation into the future.
