Raja Chatila
Raja Chatila is a researcher in robotics, AI and the ethics of autonomous and intelligent systems. Born in Damascus, Syria, in 1952, he completed a PhD in control science in 1981. He led the robotics and AI group at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse, and from 2014 to 2019 he directed the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics at Sorbonne Université. In 2013 IEEE gave him its Pioneer Award in Robotics and Automation, and he was president of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society for the 2014–2015 term. As of October 2026 he is professor emeritus at Sorbonne University and chairs the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems.
- Now at
- Sorbonne University
- Works
- 296
- Citations
- 21,971
- h-index
- 43
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.
Timeline
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1952
Born in Damascus
He is born in Damascus, Syria, in 1952.
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1981
A doctorate in control science
He completes a PhD in control science at Paul Sabatier University in 1981.
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2000–2010
Robotics and AI at LAAS-CNRS
From 2000 to 2006 he leads the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Group at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse. From 2007 to 2010 he directs LAAS-CNRS.
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2013
A Pioneer Award from IEEE
In 2013 he receives the IEEE Pioneer Award in Robotics and Automation, and he is an IEEE Fellow.
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2014–2015
Heading the IEEE robotics society
He serves as president of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society for the 2014–2015 term.
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2014–2019
Directing ISIR at Sorbonne
At Sorbonne Université he directs the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics from 2014 to 2019.
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2025
A paper on moral contexts
He co-authors Morality is Contextual, a 2025 paper on learning moral contexts from human data with large language models.
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As of October 2026
Professor emeritus at Sorbonne
He is professor emeritus at Sorbonne University, and he chairs the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems.
Sources and credits
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