Bradley Nelson

Also known as Brad Nelson

Bradley Nelson is a roboticist who applies microrobotics and nanorobotics to medicine. He grew up in Illinois, studied mechanical engineering at Illinois and Minnesota, began robotics research in 1984, and completed a robotics PhD at Carnegie Mellon in 1995. His early work included computer-vision research at Honeywell, software engineering at Motorola, and Peace Corps service; he held faculty posts in Chicago and Minnesota before joining ETH Zurich in 2002. He received a second ERC grant in 2016 to develop intelligent soft microrobots, and in 2025 he discussed an ETH microrobot tested for drug delivery in vessel models and large animals. He received the Grand Hamdan International Award for AI in Healthcare in 2020, became an AIMBE Fellow and a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2026, and is ETH Zurich's full Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems.

Now at: ETH Zurich
Works: 1,341
Citations: 49,988
h-index: 115
Rankings: #77 by h-index, #54 by h-index since 2021, #98 by last-author papers and #77 by cited papers
Badges: Centurion
Boomerang
Wayfarer
Loyal

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

1984–1995

Engineering studies and a robotics PhD

He grows up in small Illinois towns, attends high school in Normal, earns a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Illinois, and studies for a master's at Minnesota, where he finds robotics through Max Donath in 1984. His early experience includes computer-vision research at Honeywell, software engineering at Motorola, and Peace Corps service in Botswana. In August 1995, he completes a robotics PhD at Carnegie Mellon with a thesis on agent systems for sensory feedback.
1995–2002

Faculty posts in Chicago and Minnesota

He joins the University of Illinois at Chicago as an assistant professor in 1995 and becomes an associate professor at the University of Minnesota in 1998. In 2002, he moves to ETH Zurich as a professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems.
Since 2002

Professor at ETH Zurich

He focuses his ETH research on microrobotics and nanorobotics, including tiny intelligent machines.
2016

An ERC grant for soft robots

He receives a second ERC grant in 2016 for SOMBOT, which develops soft microrobots that sense and respond to their environment.
2020

An AI healthcare award

He receives the Grand Hamdan International Award for AI in Healthcare for work on soft nanorobots that interact with human tissue.
2025

A drug-delivery microrobot

ETH researchers report a microrobot that transports drugs and dissolves to release its cargo, with magnetic navigation tested in realistic vessel models and large animals. Nelson says integrating magnetic function, imaging and precise control took years.
April 2026

AIMBE College of Fellows

AIMBE inducts him into its 2026 College of Fellows for his work in micro-, nano- and medical robotics.
July 2026

Foreign Member of CAS

He is inducted as a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in July 2026. He is a full Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in ETH Zurich's Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. His ETH career also includes two stints as department head.