Vijay Kumar
Vijay Kumar is a roboticist who has been dean of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania, commonly called Penn, is a private research university and Ivy League member in Philadelphia. It traces its origins to a 1740 charity-school project; Benjamin Franklin proposed his academy in 1749, classes began in 1751, and a 1791 merger established the institution under its present name. Penn has 12 schools, with undergraduate education concentrated in arts and sciences, engineering, nursing and Wharton. Enrollment totaled 29,384 in fall 2025, and the fiscal 2025 endowment was $24.81 billion. As of October 2026, J. Larry Jameson was president, with his term scheduled to end on June 30, 2027.Open the full entry’s School of Engineering and Applied Science since 2015 and is known for work on multi-robot systems and micro aerial vehicles. He previously directed the GRASP Laboratory, served as assistant director for robotics at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and co-founded Exyn Technologies.
Contents17 sections
Key facts
1983Graduates from IIT Kanpur
Vijay Kumar (full name Vijay Kumar Ramakrishnan) graduated in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1983 with a Bachelor of Technology degree.[1]
1987Ohio State PhD and Penn Faculty Appointment
In 1987 he received his PhD from The Ohio State University and joined the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in Computer and Information Science.[2]
1998–2004Directs the GRASP Lab and Serves as Deputy Dean for Research
From 1998 to 2004 he directed Penn’s General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory, a multidisciplinary robotics and perception lab, and from 2000 to 2004 he was the engineering school’s deputy dean for research.[3]
2005–2012Department Chair and Deputy Dean for Education
He chaired the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from 2005 to 2008 and served as the school’s deputy dean for education from 2008 to 2012.[2]
2012–2014Serves in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
During a scholarly leave from 2012 to 2014 he served in the White House as assistant director for robotics and cyber-physical systems in the Office of Science and Technology Policy.[4]
February 2012TED2012 Talk on Flying Robots
In February 2012 he gave the talk “Robots that fly ... and cooperate” at TED2012, presenting his lab’s small, agile quadrotors that swarm, sense each other and form ad hoc teams for construction, disaster surveying and other tasks.[5]
2013Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
In 2013 he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering.[2]
2014Co-Founds Exyn Technologies with Nader Elm
In 2014 he and Nader Elm co-founded Exyn Technologies, a University of Pennsylvania spinout developing software that lets drones and other robots move autonomously without GPS or a preloaded map.[6]
In June 2018 Exyn was preparing to fly a drone inside a Latin American mine guided only by onboard sensors to build 3D models; the company then had 16 employees, and Kumar was listed as its chief science advisor.[7]
March 2015Named Dean of Penn Engineering
In March 2015 Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price announced his appointment as dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, succeeding Eduardo Glandt, who had served for 17 years; by then he had written more than 400 papers and more than 20 books and book chapters.[4]
In an interview he said that working with students was the most rewarding part of his work at Penn, and that as dean he wanted to increase technology’s footprint on campus and beyond and to grow the faculty, research space and student body.[8]
July 1, 2015Takes Office as Dean
His appointment as dean took effect on July 1, 2015.[3]
September 8, 2019Appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast
On September 8, 2019, he appeared on the Lex FridmanLex FridmanLex Fridman is a Soviet-born, US-raised computer scientist and podcast host who works as an MIT research scientist on human-AI interaction and autonomous driving. His Lex Fridman Podcast is known for hours-long conversations with guests including heads of state and technology leaders.Open the full entry Podcast in an episode titled “Flying Robots,” whose description says he is best known for his work on multi-robot systems (robot swarms) and micro aerial vehicles and notes that he formerly directed the GRASP Lab.[9]
2020IEEE Robotics and Automation Field Award
In 2020 he received the IEEE Robotics and Automation Field Award, having earlier received the 2014 Engelberger Robotics Award and the 2018 IEEE Robotics and Automation Pioneer Award.[1]
May 2021Reappointed Dean Through June 2027
In May 2021 Penn announced that he would continue as Nemirovsky Family Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science through June 2027; President Gutmann said that during his first term the school had added cross-school course offerings and granted tenure to more than 40 professors.[10]
May 2026Exyn Technologies Goes Public on Nasdaq
In May 2026 Exyn Technologies, which he co-founded, completed its initial public offering, raising gross proceeds of about $19.4 million, and began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on May 15.[6]
As of October 2026: Current Roles
As of October 2026 he has been Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering since 2015, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is an advisor to Treeswift and a board member of WeRobotics and O2Micro.[11]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
University of Pennsylvania: Official website: https://www.upenn.edu/ (opens in a new window)[3]
Sources
- Prof Vijay Kumar | IIT Kanpur (opens in a new window)
- Vijay Kumar | IEEE Control Systems Society (opens in a new window)
- 3/17/15, Vijay Kumar: Dean of Penn Engineering - Almanac, Vol. 61, No. 26 (opens in a new window)
- Vijay Kumar named new dean of Engineering - The Daily Pennsylvanian (opens in a new window)
- Vijay Kumar: Robots that fly ... and cooperate | TED Talk (opens in a new window)
- Exyn Technologies goes public in Nasdaq IPO (opens in a new window)
- The drone from this Penn spinout can fly inside mines without maps or GPS (opens in a new window)
- Q&A with new dean of Engineering - The Daily Pennsylvanian (opens in a new window)
- Vijay Kumar: Flying Robots | Lex Fridman Podcast (opens in a new window)
- Penn reappoints Vijay Kumar as Engineering Dean through June 2027 - The Daily Pennsylvanian (opens in a new window)
- School Leadership | Penn Engineering (opens in a new window)