PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Mark W. Spong

Mark W. Spong is a robotics researcher whose work spans nonlinear control, teleoperation and coordination among networked robotic agents. He earned a BA in mathematics and physics at Hiram College, an MS at New Mexico State University, and graduate degrees in systems science at Washington University by 1981; he joined Illinois in 1984 and led UT Dallas’ Jonsson School as dean from 2008 to 2017. His 1988 teleoperation paper with Robert Anderson described a control law that overcame instability caused by time delay; he received the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society’s Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award in 2011, ASME’s Rufus Oldenburger Medal in 2020, and the International Federation of Automatic Control’s Robotics Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025. As of October 2026, he is a professor of Systems Engineering at UT Dallas.

Born
1952
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1975–1981

    Degrees in mathematics and systems science

    He earns a B.A. in mathematics and physics from Hiram College in 1975, an M.S. in mathematics from New Mexico State University in 1977, and an M.S. and D.Sc. in systems science and mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis in 1979 and 1981.

  2. 1984

    Research at Illinois

    He joins the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1984. His research focuses on nonlinear control for robotics, teleoperation and coordination of networked robotic agents.

  3. 1988

    Bilateral teleoperation

    He coauthors “Bilateral Control of Teleoperators With Time Delay” with his first PhD student, Robert Anderson. The paper describes a control law for teleoperators that overcomes instability caused by time delay.

  4. 2008–2017

    Dean of the Jonsson School

    He leads UT Dallas’ Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science as its fourth dean from 2008 to 2017.

  5. 2011

    A robotics Pioneer Award

    In 2011, he receives the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society’s Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award.

  6. 2020

    A control systems medal

    In 2020, he receives ASME’s Rufus Oldenburger Medal, which recognizes lifetime achievements in automatic control.

  7. 2025

    A robotics lifetime award

    In 2025, he receives the International Federation of Automatic Control’s (IFAC) Robotics Lifetime Achievement Award. His 2025 book, A First Course in Complex Networks, introduces graph theory and includes a short introduction to neural networks.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor at UT Dallas

    As of October 2026, he is a professor in Systems Engineering at UT Dallas and holds the Excellence in Education Chair. His research interests include nonlinear control theory and robotics, and his publication record spans more than 350 papers and eight books.

Career

  1. Since 2008University of Texas at DallasDean
  2. From 1984University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Education

  1. 1981Washington University in St. LouisD.Sc. in systems science and mathematics
  2. 1979Washington University in St. LouisMS in systems science and mathematics
  3. 1977New Mexico State UniversityMS in mathematics
  4. 1975Hiram CollegeBA in mathematics and physics

From the biography.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes University of Texas at Dallas. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Texas at Dallas. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorateIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorate. Across 2,116 people with both an undergraduate degree and a doctorate recorded, we trace which undergraduate schools feed which doctoral programs, how often students stay at the same school, and how paths differ by birth-country region.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

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

Sources and credits

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  1. Professor Mark W. Spong mark-w-spong.github.io. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Dr. Mark W. Spong | Endowed Chairs and Professorships | UTD chairs.utdallas.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Mark W Spong | Electrical & Computer Engineering | Illinois ece.illinois.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Timeless Research: Control Systems Expert Lands Spot On Top Twenty List engineering.utdallas.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Rufus Oldenburger Medal asme.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Accolades: Jonsson School Researchers, Students Earn Honors news.utdallas.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Mark W. Spong - Systems Engineering | The University of Texas at Dallas syse.utdallas.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.