PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Benjamin Rosman

Benjamin Rosman is a full professor at Wits, where he runs the RAIL Lab, whose systems can plan and adapt. He is a founder and organiser of the Deep Learning Indaba summer school. His training ran from a BSc at Wits in 2007 to a PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 2014. In 2024 he became the founding director of the MIND Institute at Wits, and TIME named him to its 2025 list of the 100 most influential people in AI. In July 2025 CIFAR appointed him a Fellow in its Learning in Machines & Brains programme, and he is a co-founder of Lelapa AI.

Timeline

  1. 2007–2008

    Degrees from Wits

    He completes a BSc at Wits in 2007 and a BSc Honours there in 2008.

  2. 2014

    A doctorate from Edinburgh

    At the University of Edinburgh, he completes a PhD under Ram Ramamoorthy in 2014.

  3. 2022–2024

    A CIFAR Azrieli scholarship

    In 2022 he is named one of 18 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars, and he is a founder and organiser of the Deep Learning Indaba summer school.

  4. 2024

    Founding the MIND Institute

    He becomes founding director of the MIND Institute at Wits in 2024. The institute launches in November 2024.

  5. June 2025

    Systems that plan and adapt

    In June 2025 Wits reports on the RAIL Lab, whose work builds systems that can plan, adapt, and operate independently in complex environments.

  6. July 2025

    A CIFAR Fellowship

    He becomes a Fellow in the CIFAR Learning in Machines & Brains programme in July 2025.

  7. 2025

    A TIME100 AI listing

    TIME names him to its 2025 list of the 100 most influential people in AI.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor at Wits

    He is a full professor at Wits, where he runs the RAIL Lab. He is also a co-founder of Lelapa AI.

Sources and credits

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  1. 2022 - Alumni in the spotlight June 2022 - Wits University wits.ac.za. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Informatics alumnus named in TIME Magazine’s 2025 List of 100 Most Influential AI Thinkers informatics.ed.ac.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. 2022-06 - Boost to pursue his high-risk, high-reward ideas - Wits University wits.ac.za. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Full Profile - The Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery (MIND) Institute wits.ac.za. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Meeting of minds at Wits' AI institute | ITWeb itweb.co.za. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. 2025-06 - Bots with brains: Wits robotics goes underground - Wits University wits.ac.za. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. 2025-07 - MIND Director named coveted CIFAR Fellow - Wits University wits.ac.za. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. Keynote Speech - Benjamin Rosman: Composition: a tale of robot behaviours and research communities | United Nations University unu.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.