PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Robert Wood

Also known as Robert J. Wood

Robert Wood is a Harvard roboticist whose research spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and control. He earned engineering degrees at Syracuse and UC Berkeley, then joined Harvard in 2006 after postdoctoral work at Berkeley. His RoboBee project reached controlled flight in 2012 and sustained untethered flight in 2019, while he and Jennifer Lewis led research on the autonomous Octobot. He received the NSF Waterman Award in 2012 and the Max Planck-Humboldt Medal in 2018. In December 2025, he led the robotics component of Project CETI; as of October 2026, he is the Harry Lewis and Marlyn McGrath Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Harvard SEAS.

Works
512
Citations
47,847
h-index
99
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1998–2004

    Engineering degrees at Syracuse and Berkeley

    He earns a B.S. in electrical engineering from Syracuse University in 1998. He completes an M.S. in 2001 and a Ph.D. in 2004 in UC Berkeley's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences with Professor Ron Fearing.

  2. 2006–2012

    From Berkeley postdoc to Harvard professor

    Before joining Harvard in 2006, he works as a postdoctoral research engineer at UC Berkeley's Robotics Lab. Harvard approves his promotion to full professor with tenure in 2012. The NSF awards him the Alan T. Waterman Award in 2012 for multi-scale, multi-material fabrication methods for high-performance robot assembly.

  3. 2012–2013

    RoboBee's first controlled flight

    In 2012, RoboBee makes its first controlled flight; Harvard reports its vertical takeoff, hovering and steering in 2013. Wood is principal investigator of the NSF-supported project at Harvard.

  4. 2016

    The autonomous Octobot

    In 2016, he and Jennifer Lewis lead research on Octobot, the first autonomous, untethered, entirely soft robot. Microfluidic logic controls the robot's fuel reaction and inflates its arms.

  5. 2018

    The Max Planck-Humboldt Medal

    He receives the Max Planck-Humboldt Medal in 2018 for his work in soft robotics.

  6. 2019

    RoboBee flies without a tether

    In 2019, RoboBee X-Wing flies without a power cord and becomes the lightest untethered vehicle to achieve sustained flight. Wood serves as principal investigator of the RoboBee project.

  7. April 2025–December 2025

    RoboBee's landing controller and Project CETI

    In April 2025, the team led by Wood gives RoboBee long, jointed legs and updates its controller to decelerate as it approaches a landing surface. In December 2025, he leads the robotics component of Project CETI, which uses machine learning to analyze whale sounds.

  8. As of October 2026

    Harvard professor and graduate director

    As of October 2026, he is the Harry Lewis and Marlyn McGrath Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Director of Graduate Studies at Harvard SEAS. His research includes artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics and control.

Career

  1. Since 2006Harvard UniversityDirector of Graduate Studies, Professor
  2. 2000–2006University of California, BerkeleyPostdoctoral Research Engineer

Education

  1. 2004University of California, BerkeleyPh.D.
  2. 2001University of California, BerkeleyM.S.
  3. 1998Syracuse UniversityB.S.

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

Most-cited works

  1. An integrated design and fabrication strategy for entirely soft, autonomous robots2016 · Nature · 2,133 citationsWith Jennifer A. Lewis
  2. Soft robotic glove for combined assistance and at-home rehabilitation2014 · Robotics and Autonomous Systems · 1,622 citations
  3. Embedded 3D Printing of Strain Sensors within Highly Stretchable Elastomers2014 · Advanced Materials · 1,611 citationsWith Jennifer A. Lewis
  4. Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones2015 · Nature · 1,469 citationsWith Dario Floreano
  5. The grand challenges of Science Robotics2018 · Science Robotics · 1,147 citationsWith Bradley Nelson, Brian Scassellati, Guang-Zhong Yang, James Bellingham, Luciano Floridi and Manuela Veloso

From OpenAlex, as of 21 October 2026.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Harvard University. 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.
  2. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes Harvard University. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, recent citations, dual appointments and job moves across 2,420 university researchers and 308 frontier-lab researchers.
  3. Companies supply the most prior-work hires at 7 of the 9 frontier AI labsIncludes Harvard University. Our estimates of the organizations where 550 people worked directly before joining 9 frontier AI labs across 620 career transitions, comparing the main feeder organizations per lab.
  4. 44% of AI career moves go from one university to anotherIncludes Harvard University. We estimate how 26,439 AI career moves link universities, companies, labs, nonprofits and government research centers, with decade counts, net flows and the top paths.

Colleagues

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

Sources and credits

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

  1. Robert Wood wins prestigious NSF CAREER and ONR Young Investigator program awards seas.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Robert J. Wood approved for promotion to tenured full professor seas.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. The Alan T. Waterman Award nsf.gov. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Robotic insects make first controlled flight seas.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. The first autonomous, entirely soft robot wyss.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Robert Wood receives Max Planck-Humboldt Medal wyss.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Robert J. Wood’s RoboBee X-Wing flies solo eecs.berkeley.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. RoboBee comes in for a landing seas.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  9. Tapping Into Whale Talk seas.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  10. Robert J. Wood seas.harvard.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.