PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Dave Lavery

Dave Lavery is a retired NASA program executive whose career linked artificial intelligence, telerobotics, and planetary exploration. He earned a computer science degree at Virginia Tech in 1981, then moved from graduate AI study into NASA's telerobotics work. At NASA, he guided Mars rover missions, oversaw NASA's involvement in FIRST student robotics, and led the Curiosity mission before serving as program executive for Ingenuity. As of October 2026, he is retired from NASA after serving as program executive for Solar System Exploration.

Now at
NASA
Works
31
Citations
219
h-index
6
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1981

    Computer science to telerobotics

    He earns a computer science degree at Virginia Tech in 1981. Graduate work in artificial intelligence leads him to robotic systems and NASA's Telerobotics Research Technology Program.

  2. 2003

    Leading the Mars rover missions

    In 2003, he serves as program executive for NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers and NASA's participation in the European Space Agency's Mars Express at NASA Headquarters.

  3. 2006

    Supporting student robotics

    In 2006, he oversees NASA's involvement with the FIRST robotics competition while serving as program executive for Solar System Exploration.

  4. 2012–2014

    Leading the Curiosity mission

    Curiosity lands on Mars in August 2012, and he leads its ongoing mission as NASA's program executive for Solar System Exploration.

  5. 2024

    Ingenuity program executive

    In 2024, he serves as program executive at NASA Headquarters for Ingenuity, NASA's Mars helicopter.

  6. As of October 2026

    Retired from NASA

    As of October 2026, he is a retired NASA program executive for Solar System Exploration.

Career

  1. 2003–2008NASAProgram Executive for Mars Exploration Rovers and NASA's participation in Mars Express, Program Executive for Solar System Exploration

Education

  1. 1981Virginia TechComputer science degree

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

Most-cited works

  1. Robotics: State of the Art and Future Challenges2008 · IMPERIAL COLLEGE PRESS eBooks · 57 citations
  2. Miniature robots for space and military missions1999 · IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine · 41 citations
  3. Robotics Technology for Planetary Missions into the 21st Century1997 · 31 citations
  4. NASA Rover and Telerobotics Technology Program1994 · IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine · 28 citations
  5. Mars Base Technology Program Overview2005 · 12 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers rose from 2% to 32%Includes NASA. We estimate where leading AI researchers worked when their most-cited papers appeared. The company share rose from 2% in 1975–1979 to 32% in 2020–2024.
  2. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Virginia Tech. Stanford University trained or employed 20 of the 89 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Virginia Tech. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.
  4. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI from 1961 to 2025, with a year-by-year chart.

Colleagues

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

Sources and credits

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

  1. Alumni Shorts | Virginia Tech Magazine | Virginia Tech archive.vtmag.vt.edu. Checked 19 October 2026.
  2. A conversation with NASA’s Dave Lavery - Robohub robohub.org. Checked 19 October 2026.
  3. Mars Missions Have International Flavor | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) jpl.nasa.gov. Checked 19 October 2026.
  4. Students Win Robotics Basketball Tournament | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) jpl.nasa.gov. Checked 19 October 2026.
  5. NASA Performs First Aircraft Accident Investigation on Another World - NASA nasa.gov. Checked 19 October 2026.
  6. Session Details: Fast Company Grill at SXSW 2026 events.fastcompany.com. Checked 19 October 2026.