
Assistant Professor Yuke Zhu has been named one of five IEEE’s Early Career Award winners for “groundbreaking contributions” in embodied artificial intelligence and robot learning.
Zhu’s work, which has been cited over 24,000 times, focuses on autonomous robots, machine learning and these mechanisms interacting with the real world. Zhu, who is the principal investigator for the UT Austin Robot Perception and Learning Lab, obtained both his master’s and Ph.D from Stanford University before joining UT Computer Science.
“Robotics and automation are transforming the way we live, work, and interact with the world. The idea that my research could enable life-changing technologies and revolutionize industries is deeply motivating,” Zhu said. “The joy comes from the process itself — asking bold questions, tackling unsolved challenges, and seeing ideas take shape.
Zhu also co-leads with the General Embodied Agent Research Group at NVIDIA, where the group focuses on general-purpose robots, large language and vision-language foundation models for autonomous reasoning and planning, and embodied agents in virtual worlds.
IEEE’s is a professional research organization working to advance technology for humanity. Its Robotics & Automation Society works specifically to develop and exchange “scientific and technological knowledge” in autonomous systems to benefit its members and society. Zhu will be recognized at the society’s international conference in Atlanta, Georgia this May.
“This recognition is not just mine — it belongs to all my students, collaborators, and colleagues who have poured their heart and soul into pushing the boundaries of Robotics and AI,” Zhu said. “Their dedication, creativity, and resilience inspire me every day. Working alongside them is the greatest joy of my career. This award is a testament to our shared passion for discovery and innovation.”