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Aaron Ames, the Bren Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Control and Dynamical Systems, and Aerospace at Caltech has been appointed the director and Booth-Kresa Leadership Chair of the Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST). He takes over from Mory Gharib, who was the center’s inaugural director.

“It is with immense eagerness that I take on the position of director of CAST,” states Ames, who is also the option representative for control and dynamical systems at Caltech and serves as the undergraduate option representative for mechanical engineering. “It is genuinely a privilege to follow in the footsteps of Professor Gharib, whose guidance since the inception of CAST has positioned Caltech at the cutting edge of autonomy research, fostering pioneering advancements at the nexus of AI and robotics.”

“Aaron’s scientific inquisitiveness, mathematical precision, and sharp insight for practical applications will empower him to steer CAST towards an exhilarating future in robotics and autonomy,” remarks Harry Atwater, the Otis Booth Leadership Chair of Caltech’s Division of Engineering and Applied Science.

CAST initiated in October 2017 aiming to expand the frontiers of what is achievable with autonomous systems. Throughout the past eight years, CAST researchers have demonstrated their commitment to this ambition through diverse projects, including designing new control systems that leverage AI to stabilize drones; developing bioinspired robots capable of rolling, walking, and flying; equipping a self-driving racecar with the “intelligence” to navigate racecourses; and formulating emergency response algorithms that assist spacecraft in navigating challenging scenarios.

Ames asserts that CAST has a plethora of thrilling projects yet to undertake. “In the future, we have an exciting chance to further advance the frontiers of autonomy aiming to deploy intelligent robotic systems—from drones to humanoids—in complex real-world settings,” he explains. “This will be facilitated by what distinguishes Caltech: profound foundational science paired with robust collaborative endeavors among its remarkable faculty.”

Ames’s research group, known as the Advanced Mechanical Bipedal Experimental Robotics (AMBER) Lab, is dedicated to both experimental and theoretical inquiries in robotics, with a distinct focus on bipedal robots and prosthetics that could serve in robotic assistive technologies. Ames stands out as a leader in the domain of humanoid technology as well as in the safety-critical control of robotic systems, ensuring reliable robotic interactions in real-life contexts.

Ames completed his undergraduate studies at the University of St. Thomas and pursued his graduate education at UC Berkeley. He was a postdoctoral researcher at Caltech from 2006 to 2008 prior to his role as an associate professor at Texas A&M University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Ames joined the Caltech faculty as the Bren Professor in 2017.

Ames is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and has received multiple accolades and honors. He was awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2010 and was the recipient of the American Automatic Control Council’s Donald P. Eckman Award in 2015, which recognizes an exceptional young engineer in the field. In 2017, Ames secured an Okawa Foundation Research Grant for his research on safety in autonomous robotic systems. He also received the IEEE Control Systems Society’s Antonio Ruberti Young Researcher Prize in 2019. His lab has garnered several best paper awards, including the best overall paper at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the largest robotics conference worldwide, in both 2020 and 2023.

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