PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Andrea L. Thomaz

Also known as Andrea Lockerd Thomaz

Andrea Thomaz is a robotics researcher whose work connects machine learning with robots that learn from human instruction. She earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from UT Austin in 1999, then a master’s degree in media arts and sciences from MIT in 2002 and a doctorate there in 2006. At Georgia Tech, she began an assistant professorship in 2007; Popular Science named her to its Brilliant Ten in 2012. She joined UT Austin’s engineering faculty in 2016 and co-founded Diligent Robotics with Vivian Chu in 2017; its Moxi robots take on non-patient-facing hospital tasks. In January 2026, Serve announced plans to acquire Diligent; as of October 2026, Thomaz is its CEO and co-founder.

Now at
Diligent Robotics and University of Texas at Austin
Works
242
Citations
7,030
h-index
44
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1999–2002

    Engineering degrees at two universities

    She earns a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from UT Austin in 1999 and an S.M. in media arts and sciences from MIT in 2002.

  2. 2006

    Socially guided machine learning

    She completes a Ph.D. in media arts and sciences at MIT in 2006 with a dissertation titled “Socially Guided Machine Learning.” Her MIT Media Lab work applies AI to develop machines that address everyday human needs.

  3. 2007

    Assistant professor at Georgia Tech

    In fall 2007, she begins an assistant professorship in Georgia Tech’s Computer Science Department.

  4. 2012

    Popular Science’s Brilliant Ten

    Popular Science names her to its Brilliant Ten list in 2012.

  5. February 2016

    A healthcare robotics presentation

    In February 2016, she presents Diligent Droids at stARTup Studio as an associate professor in UT Austin’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

  6. 2017

    Co-founding Diligent Robotics

    She co-founds Diligent Robotics with Vivian Chu in 2017 to create socially intelligent robot assistants.

  7. July 2025

    About 100 Moxi robots

    In July 2025, she is Diligent Robotics’ co-founder and CEO. About 100 Moxi humanoid robots assist healthcare facilities with non-patient-facing tasks.

  8. As of October 2026

    CEO at Diligent Robotics

    In January 2026, Serve Robotics announces plans to acquire Diligent Robotics. Diligent is set to continue operating relatively independently within Serve, and she is its CEO and co-founder.

Career

  1. Since 2017Diligent RoboticsCo-founder, CEO
  2. 2016–2017University of Texas at AustinAssociate professor
  3. 2007–2016Georgia Institute of TechnologyAssistant professor

Education

  1. 2006Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPh.D. in media arts and sciences
  2. 2002Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyS.M. in media arts and sciences
  3. 1999University of Texas at AustinB.S. in electrical and computer engineering

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Effects of nonverbal communication on efficiency and robustness in human-robot teamwork2005 · IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) · 572 citationsWith Cynthia Breazeal
  2. Teachable robots: Understanding human teaching behavior to build more effective robot learners2007 · Artificial Intelligence · 405 citationsWith Cynthia Breazeal
  3. Policy Shaping: Integrating Human Feedback with Reinforcement Learning2013 · 307 citationsWith Charles Isbell
  4. Reinforcement learning with human teachers: evidence of feedback and guidance with implications for learning performance2006 · 251 citationsWith Cynthia Breazeal
  5. Trajectories and keyframes for kinesthetic teaching2012 · ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) · 237 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 18 October 2026.

  1. 14% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Andrea L. Thomaz. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after their doctorate, and how the timing changed across cohorts.
  2. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes University of Texas at Austin. Our estimates of combined and median h-index at AI organizations, using current affiliations and OpenAlex records.
  3. Stanford University trained or employed 27 of the 111 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Texas at Austin. Stanford University trained or employed 27 of the 111 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Andrea L. Thomaz yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Dr. Andrea Lockerd – Personal Robots robots.media.mit.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  2. Andrea Thomaz, CEO and Co-Founder of Diligent Robotics diligentrobots.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  3. Texas Engineering Welcomes New Faculty, 2016-17 cockrell.utexas.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  4. Prof. Andrea Thomaz Presents Robotic Healthcare Assistance Technologies at stARTup Studio ece.utexas.edu. Checked 18 October 2026.
  5. Why Serve Robotics is acquiring a hospital assistant robot company techcrunch.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  6. Diligent Robotics hires two notable Cruise alumni to its leadership team techcrunch.com. Checked 18 October 2026.