Stefan Schaal

Stefan Schaal has had an extensive career in the field of robotics and autonomous systems. Stefan is currently the Chief Science Officer at Intrinsic, an Alphabet company. Prior to this role, they founded and served as CEO of SKS Autonomous Systems. From 2018 to 2021, Schaal held the position of Director of Robotics at [Google] X, the moonshot factory. Stefan also served as the Founding Director of the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems from 2011 to 2018.

Schaal has a strong background in academia, having held the position of Professor at the University of Southern California from 1997 to 2018. Their expertise lies in computer science, biomedical engineering, and neuroscience, with a focus on robotic autonomous systems, machine learning, robotic control, and neural control of movement, among other related areas. Stefan also had adjunct positions at Penn State University and Georgia Institute of Technology during their career.

Prior to their academic career, Schaal worked as a Group Leader and Invited Researcher at the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories from 1992 to 2003.

Overall, Stefan Schaal has a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of robotics and has held leadership positions in industry and academia.

Stefan Schaal pursued their education in a systematic manner, focusing on Mechanical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Brain and Cognitive Science. Stefan began their educational journey by earning a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, from the year 1982 to 1984. Stefan continued their studies at the same institution, completing their Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from 1984 to 1988. Stefan then proceeded to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where they pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Mechanical Engineering and Artificial Intelligence from 1988 to 1991. Following their PhD, Stefan further enhanced their knowledge and expertise by attending MIT once again as a postdoctoral researcher, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Brain and Cognitive Science, from 1991 to 1994. Throughout their education, Stefan showcased a keen interest in exploring the intersection of Mechanical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Cognitive Science.