Cynthia Breazeal has been promoted to full professor and named associate director of the Media Lab, joining the other two associate directors: Hiroshi Ishii and Andrew Lippman. Both nominations are effective from July 1.
In her novel position as associate director, Breazeal will work with laboratory faculty and researchers to develop novel strategic research initiatives. He will also play a key role in exploring novel funding mechanisms to support the broad needs of the Media Lab, including multi-departmental research efforts, collaborations with other labs and departments on the MIT campus, and experiential executive education opportunities.
Most recently, Breazeal led a collaboration at MIT between the Media Lab, the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing, and MIT Open Learning to develop aieducation.mit.edueducational website for grades K-12 that provides a variety of online activities that enable students to learn about artificial intelligence, with a focus on how to design and exploit artificial intelligence responsibly.
Assuming these novel responsibilities, Breazeal will continue to lead the lab’s Personal Robotics Research Group, which focuses on the development of personal social robots and their potential to make a significant impact on everyday life – from educational aids for children, to pediatric exploit in hospitals, to after: home lend a hand for the elderly.
Breazeal is recognized around the world as a pioneer of human-robot interaction. Her book “Designing Sociable Robots” (MIT Press, 2002) is considered pivotal in launching the field. In 2019, she became an AAAI scholarship holder. She has previously received numerous awards, including the Gilbreth Lecture Award from the National Academy of Engineering and a TR100/35 award. Her robot Jibo was featured on the cover of the magazine’s list of the best inventions of 2017, and in 2003 she was a finalist for the National Design Awards in communication design. In 2014, the magazine recognized her as one of the Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs. The following year she was named one of r magazine’s Women to Watch.
Breazeal earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s and doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.