James Kuffner
Also known as James J. Kuffner Jr., J. J. Kuffner, J. KUFFNER, J. Kuffner, J.J. Kuffner
James Kuffner is a roboticist whose work spans robot motion planning, cloud robotics, and AI in supply-chain robotics. After earning a Stanford computer science PhD, he publishes RRT-Connect with LaValle and joins Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute. At Google, he helps build the self-driving car team, heads its Robotics division, and introduces Cloud Robotics. At Toyota, he joins Toyota Research Institute as CTO before moving to a Senior Fellow assignment focused on software engineers’ professional development. He is Symbotic’s chief technology officer, a role he takes in January 2025, and advances robotics technologies that use AI for the supply chain.
- Now at
- Symbotic
- Works
- 190
- Citations
- 18,027
- h-index
- 61
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.
Timeline
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2000
A Stanford computer science PhD
He completes a Stanford computer science PhD in 2000 and works as a JSPS postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tokyo.
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2000
RRT-Connect path planning
He and Steven M. LaValle publish their RRT-Connect paper on single-query path planning in 2000.
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2002–2009
Joining Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute
He joins the faculty at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute in 2002.
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2007
An Okawa Foundation Award
He receives the Okawa Foundation Award for Young Researchers in 2007.
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2009–2016
Google’s self-driving car team
At Google, he works as a research scientist and engineering director from 2009 to 2016 and joins the initial engineering team that builds its self-driving car.
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2010–2014
Cloud robotics and Google leadership
In 2010, he introduces “Cloud Robotics” for network-connected robots that use distributed computation and data stored in the cloud. He becomes head of Google’s Robotics division in 2014.
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2016–2023
Toyota Research Institute CTO
He joins Toyota Research Institute as CTO in 2016. In October 2023, he leaves the CEO role at Woven by Toyota and takes a Toyota Senior Fellow assignment focused on software engineers’ professional development.
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Since 2025
Chief technology officer at Symbotic
He is Symbotic’s chief technology officer, a role he takes in January 2025, and advances robotics technologies that use AI for the supply chain.
Sources and credits
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