Anirudha Majumdar. Photo by David Kelly Crow
The Sloan Foundation has announced that Anirudha Majumdar, an expert in robotics, has been awarded a 2023 Sloan Research Fellowship.
The fellowship recognizes creative early-career researchers in the sciences and social sciences. Six faculty members from Princeton have been awarded fellowships this year, and 243 Princeton faculty have received Sloan fellowships since they were first awarded in 1955.
Majumdar, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, works on building autonomous robotic systems. Currently, most robots are deployed in tightly controlled environments, like factories. Majumdar and his lab are working to build drones and other robots that can operate safely in a more complex environment, enabling them to see obstacles and adapt to diverse and changing conditions.
Sloan fellows receive a two-year, $75,000 fellowship which can be used flexibly. Fellowship candidates are nominated by their fellow scientists and winners are selected by an independent panel based on research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become a leader in their field. Former fellows have gone on to receive the highest accolades, including Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals.
Majumdar joined the Princeton faculty in 2017 and leads the Intelligent Robot Motion Lab. He received a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and did postdoctoral research in Stanford University’s Autonomous Systems Lab. He has won early career awards from the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation, and his work has been recognized by Google, Amazon, and the Toyota Research Institute. At Princeton Engineering, he has received the Alfred Rheinstein Faculty Award and an award for teaching excellence.