USC - Viterbi School of Engineering - Viterbi Faculty Directory

Maja Mataric

Chan Soon-Shiong Chair and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Neuroscience, and Pediatrics

Education

1994, Doctoral Degree, Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1990, Master's Degree, Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1987, Bachelor's Degree, Computer Science, University of Kansas

Biography

Maja Matarić is the Chan Soon-Shiong Chair and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, with appointments in Neuroscience, and Pediatrics at the University of Southern California (USC), and a Principal Scientist at Google DeepMind. She is the founding director of the USC Robotics and Autonomous Systems Center (rasc.usc.edu), co-director of the USC Robotics Research Lab, past interim Vice President of Research (Jan 2020-Jul 2021), past Vice Dean for Research (Jul 2006-Dec 2019), and past President of the USC faculty and the Academic Senate (2005-06). She received her PhD in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from MIT in 1994, MS in Computer Science from MIT in 1990, and BS in Computer Science from the University of Kansas in 1987. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AMACAD), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), IEEE, AAAI, and ACM, and recipient of the US Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) from President Obama. She also received the Okawa Foundation, NSF Career, the MIT TR35 Innovation, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Career, and the Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Innovation Awards. Within USC, she received the Provost's Mentoring Award, the Viterbi John O'Brien Service Award, the Viterbi School Service Award, and the Viterbi Junior Research Awards. She is featured in the documentary movie "Me & Isaac Newton." One of the most highly cited researchers (Google Scholar profile), she has published extensively, and is an advisory editor of three major journals. Prof. Matarić has lead many efforts in K-12 STEM outreach, including founding and leading the USC Viterbi K-12 STEM Center , developing free curricular materials for elementary and middle-school robotics courses, and co-leading two consecutive NSF Research Experience for Teachers sites for over a decade. A pioneer of the field of socially assistive robotics, her Interaction Lab's research is aimed at endowing machines with the ability to provide users with personalized motivation and support to empower them to reach their potential. Her lab's research focuses on users with differences, including children on the autism spectrum, stroke patients, dementia patients, and students and adults with anxiety or depression, among others. To learn more about this research, visit the USC Interaction Lab web site and Prof. Matarić's web site.

Research Summary

Prof. Matarić's research is focused on creating machines that help people help themselves to do their own work and reach their potential. She is a pioneer of the field of socially assistive robotics, which focuses on developing personalized human-robot interaction methods for behavior change aimed at health, wellness, rehabilitation, training and education. The work is inspired by the dual goals of 1) gaining novel insights into human behavior and cognition through human-machine interaction and 2) developing robotic systems capable of providing personalized assistance. Her Interaction Lab focuses on socially assistive systems capable of aiding people through social interaction rather than through physical contact. The research involves intelligent human-robot interaction (HRI) and multi-modal behavioral data-driven learning in complex, dynamic, and uncertain real-world environments such as schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and homes by integrating on-line perception, representation, and interaction with people. To address the inherently multidisciplinary challenges of this research, the work draws on theories, models, and collaborations from neuroscience, cognitive science, social science, health sciences, and education. Prof. Matarić's earlier research focused on synthesis and analysis of adaptive group behavior for distributed multi-robot control and learning, and humanoid control and learning from interaction, imitation and demonstration.

Awards

2021 ACM ACM Distinguished Speaker
2021 ACM ACM Fellow
2019 USC Distinguished Professor
2017 AAAI Fellow, AAAI
2015 Insight into Diversity Top 100 Inspiring Women in STEM
2013 Anita Borg Institute Women of VIsion Award in Innovation
2011 US President, nominated via NSF Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM)
2011 USC Provost's Mentoring Award
2011 Chan Soon-Shiong Inaugural Chair in Computer Science
2010 IEEE Fellow, IEEE
2010 USC Remarkable Woman Award
2009 USC Mellon USC Mellon Mentoring Award
2007 IEEE Ro-Man Int. Conference Best Poster
2007 IEEE RO-MAN Best Poster Presentation Award
2007 Business and Professional Women Organization, Valley Sunset District Woman of the Year
2007 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow of the AAAS
2006 USC Provost's Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching Innovative Undergraduate Teaching Award
2006 Phi Kappa Phi Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Membership
2005 USC Viterbi School of Engineering Service Award
2004 Okawa Foundation Research Award
2003 HICSS Int. Conference Best Paper Award
2003 Provost's Center for Interdisciplinary Research USC Provost's Fellowship
2000 IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Career Award
2000 USC Viterbi School of Engineering Junior Research Award
1999 ACM Best Paper Award
1999 USC Provost's Fund for Innovative Undergraduate Teaching Innovative Undergraduate Teaching Award
1999 MIT Technology Review TR100 Innovation Award
1996 NSF Career Award
1995 Brandeis University nominee for the Packard Foundation Fellowship
1993 Sigma Xi Society Sigma Xi membership
1990 GE Foundation Faculty of the Future Fellowship
1987 NCR Graduate Engineering Fellowship
1986 Phi Kappa Phi Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Membership
1986 Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi Scholarship
1986 University of Kansas Adolph J. Spangler Scholarship
1985 University of Kansas W. R. Gregory and E. V. Berger Scholarship
1983 State of Kansas State of Kansas Scholarship
- USC Viterbi School of Engineering Ambassador to the USC President

Appointments

Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Pediatrics/Childrens Hospital

Office

RTH 407
Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering
3710 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089

Contact Information

(213) 740-4520
mataric@usc.edu

Links

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