Lydia Kavraki, the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science and a professor of bioengineering, mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute, has won the IEEE Frances E. Allen Medal.
She was recognized “for foundational probabilistic algorithms and randomized search methods that have broad impact in robotic motion planning and computational biology.”
IEEE medal honorees are described as those “whose exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions have made a lasting impact on technology, society and the engineering profession,” according to the organization.
Kavraki's research interests span robotics, AI, and biomedicine and blends her extensive interdisciplinary background in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, bioengineering and biomedical sciences promoting the convergence of these disciplines.
Notably, Kavraki was the recipient of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Grace Murray Hopper Award, ACM Athena Lecturer Award and the ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award among many others.
A native of Greece, Kavraki received her bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Crete and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. More information about Dr. Kavraki and her research can be found on her Rice faculty webpage as well as the Kavraki Lab website.
Kavraki is one of three Rice recipients of these prestigious 2023 IEEE Awards. Rebecca Richards-Kortum, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, a professor of bioengineering and director of the Rice 360: Institute for Global Health Technology won the IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology and long-time Rice supporter James Truchard, co-founder and former president and CEO of National Instruments, won the IEEE James H. Mulligan Jr. Education Medal.
See the full list of IEEE Award recipients here: https://corporate-awards.ieee.org/recipients/current-recipients/.