Maja J. Matarić

Maja J. Matarić is the Chan Soon-Shiong Chair and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering (with appointments in Neuroscience and Pediatrics) and Principal Scientist at Google DeepMind. She is also founding director of the USC Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center, co-director of the USC Robotics Research Lab, and past interim USC Vice President of Research, Vice Dean for Research, and President of the USC faculty and the Academic Senate. Matarić's research is focused on creating robots that help people help themselves in doing work and reaching their potential. She is a pioneer of the field of socially assistive robotics, focused on developing personalized human-robot interaction methods for behavior change aimed at health, wellness, rehabilitation, training, and education. Her work is inspired by the dual goals of 1) gaining novel insights into human behavior and cognition through human-machine interaction and 2) developing systems capable of providing personalized assistance, especially for users with differences. She has published extensively and is a Fellow of the AAAS, IEEE, AAAI, and ACM, and recipient of the US Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Obama, among many other awards. She is featured in the documentary movie "Me & Isaac Newton." Matarić is active in outreach to groups underrepresented in STEM; she led the USC Viterbi K-12 STEM Center, developed free training materials that engage interest in science, technology, engineering, and math topics, and mentors broadly.