PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Conor Walsh

Conor Walsh is a robotics researcher whose work brings machine learning to soft wearable robots that assist movement. He earned engineering degrees at Trinity College Dublin and MIT, held teaching and research roles at MGH, Harvard and MIT, and joined Harvard SEAS as an assistant professor in 2012. His soft-exosuit work earned recognition from MIT Technology Review in 2015 and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society in 2017; he received the 2022 Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists. In 2025, he coauthored a study of personalized machine-learning control for a shoulder robot; as of October 2026, he is the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard SEAS.

Timeline

  1. 2003

    Engineering at Trinity College Dublin

    He earns B.A.I. and B.A. degrees in mechanical and manufacturing engineering at Trinity College Dublin in 2003.

  2. By 2006

    From rural Dublin to MIT

    His grandparents on both sides are stonecutters, and he comes to the United States from rural foothills outside Dublin for graduate study at MIT. He earns an M.S. in mechanical engineering there in 2006.

  3. 2010

    An MIT doctorate

    He completes a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at MIT in 2010.

  4. 2011–2012

    Assistant professor at Harvard

    In 2011, he is an instructor in radiology at MGH, a lecturer at Harvard SEAS and a research affiliate at MIT. He joins Harvard SEAS as an assistant professor in 2012 and becomes interested in colleagues’ soft robots.

  5. 2014

    Adapting the exosuit for stroke

    In 2014, he and his group begin exploring how to adapt the exosuit for people with stroke.

  6. 2015

    An Innovator Under 35

    MIT Technology Review names him an Innovator Under 35 in 2015 for developing soft, wearable robotic systems.

  7. 2017

    IEEE early-career award

    He receives the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Career Award in 2017 for contributions to soft robotics and wearable technology for rehabilitation.

  8. 2022

    Blavatnik National Award

    He receives the 2022 Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists for his work on soft wearable robot technologies.

  9. August 2025

    Personalized control for a shoulder robot

    In August 2025, he leads research published in Nature Communications that combines machine learning and a physics-based model to personalize assistance for a wearable shoulder robot. Tests with nine volunteers show the robot distinguishes shoulder movements with 94% accuracy.

  10. As of October 2026

    Paul A. Maeder Professor

    As of October 2026, he is the Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard SEAS. His lab uses AI and wearable sensor data to tailor assistance to each person’s movement.

Career

  1. NowHarvard UniversityPaul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences
  2. Mass General BrighamInstructor in radiology
  3. Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyResearch Affiliate

Education

  1. 2010Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPh.D.
  2. 2006Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyM.S.
  3. 2003Trinity College DublinB.A.I.
  4. 2003Trinity College DublinB.A.

From the biography.

Checked career sources: wikis.mit.edu, harvardmagazine.com.

Colleagues

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

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Conor Walsh yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Conor Walsh - Precision Eng. Research Group Public - MIT Wiki Service wikis.mit.edu. Checked 26 October 2026.
  2. The Medical-Robotics Revolution harvardmagazine.com. Checked 26 October 2026.
  3. Conor Walsh: Designer of the Soft Robotic Exosuit spectrum.ieee.org. Checked 26 October 2026.
  4. Conor Walsh named one of MIT Technology Review’s ‘Innovators Under 35’ seas.harvard.edu. Checked 26 October 2026.
  5. Conor Walsh wins Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists seas.harvard.edu. Checked 26 October 2026.
  6. A Wearable Robot That Learns seas.harvard.edu. Checked 26 October 2026.
  7. Building Smarter Wearable Technologies with AI seas.harvard.edu. Checked 26 October 2026.