Ruzena Bajcsy
Personal Information
Born: 1933
Country of Birth: Czechoslovakia
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
1957 & 1968, MS & PhD in Electrical Engineering, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava; 1972, PhD in Computer Science, Stanford University
Professional Life
Field of Study: Robotics; Artificial Intelligence
Institution/Corporation: University of California, Berkeley; CITRIS; GRASP;NSF;
Degrees & Memberships: Member: 1997, National Academy of Engineering; 1995, National Academy of Medicine; 1996, Fellow Association for Computing Machinery; 1990, Fellow American Association for Artificial Intelligence; 2021, American Association for Advancement of Science; 2016, Fellow Signatures Innovation; 2007, Fellow Institute of Elecrical & Electronics Engineers; 2005, American Philosophical Society; Honorary Degree: 2001, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2012, University of Pennsylvania; 2012, KTH, The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 2009, Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer & Cognitive Science; 2001, ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award; 2002, named 1 of 50 Most important Women by Discover Magazine; 2013, IEEE Robotics & Automation Award; 2021, IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology; 2021, CS PAMI Azriel Rosenfeld Lifetime Achievement Award; 2020, NCWIT Pioneer in Technology Award; 2020, RISE! Leader Award; 2017, John Scott Award; 2016, NAE Simon Ramo Founders Award; 2016, MIT Technology Review Top 7 Innovators Over 70 (TR7); 2010, RAS Pioneer Award; 2009, Abie Award for Technology Leadership; 2003, ACM Distinguished Service Award; 2003, CRA Distinguished Service Award; 2022, received Order of the White Double Cross, Second Class
Achievements: first female to receive PhD in Electrical Engineering in Slovakia; expert in Robotics & AI
Born in Bratislava (now Slovakia); she & her sister were the only survivors of WWII in her immediate family ; they were supported as war orphans by the Red Cross; later raised in orphanages & foster homes
Known for her contributions to robotics & AI
1st female recipient of a PhD in Electrical Engineering in Slovakia
Founded General Robotics & Active Sensory Perception Lab (GRASP)
Introduced the idea of active perception in robotics
Holds 3 patents