PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Roderic Grupen

Also known as Rod Grupen

Roderic Grupen is a roboticist whose research spans machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics. He earned degrees in engineering, physics, and computer science from 1980 to 1988, then coauthored a 1989 survey of general purpose manipulation. Since 1991, he has served on AI EDAM's editorial board; he co-edited a robotics journal from 2007 to 2016 and received the University of Massachusetts Chancellor's Medal in 2010. With colleagues, he coauthored a 2018 method for planning in hierarchical belief spaces and demonstrated it in an autonomous assembly task. He published a book on robot behavior in 2023 and, as of October 2026, is Professor Emeritus at UMass Amherst and directs its Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics.

Born
1957
Works
260
Citations
3,786
h-index
32
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1957–1988

    Birth and degrees

    He is born in 1957. In 1980, he earns a BS in mechanical engineering at Washington University and a BA in physics at Franklin and Marshall College. He earns an MS in mechanical engineering at Pennsylvania State University in 1984 and a PhD in computer science at the University of Utah in 1988.

  2. 1989

    A manipulation survey

    With Thomas C. Henderson and Ian McCammon, he coauthors “A Survey of General Purpose Manipulation” in 1989.

  3. Since 1991

    An AI EDAM board role

    Since 1991, he serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing (AI EDAM).

  4. 2007–2016

    Co-editing a robotics journal

    From 2007 to 2016, he serves as co-editor-in-chief of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Journal.

  5. 2010

    A Chancellor's Medal

    In 2010, he receives the University of Massachusetts Chancellor's Medal for exemplary and extraordinary service to the university.

  6. 2018

    Planning in belief spaces

    With Michael Lanighan and Takeshi Takahashi, he introduces a technique for planning in hierarchical belief spaces in 2018 and demonstrates it in an autonomous assembly task.

  7. 2023

    A book on robot behavior

    In 2023, he publishes The Developmental Organization of Robot Behavior with MIT Press.

  8. As of October 2026

    Emeritus professor and lab director

    As of October 2026, he is Professor Emeritus at UMass Amherst and directs its Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics. His research areas include machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Current lab projects focus on knowledge representations grounded in closed-loop interaction, whole-body dynamics for stabilization, risk-sensitive policy optimization, and human-robot interaction.

Career

  1. Since 1989University of Massachusetts AmherstProfessor Emeritus
  2. 2003–2005University of Utah

Education

  1. 1988University of UtahPhD in computer science
  2. 1984Pennsylvania State UniversityMS in mechanical engineering
  3. 1980Washington University in St. LouisBS in mechanical engineering
  4. 1980Franklin & Marshall CollegeBA in physics

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

Most-cited works

  1. The applications of harmonic functions to robotics1993 · Journal of Robotic Systems · 291 citations
  2. Robot learning from demonstration by constructing skill trees2011 · The International Journal of Robotics Research · 286 citations
  3. Developing haptic and visual perceptual categories for reaching and grasping with a humanoid robot2001 · Robotics and Autonomous Systems · 106 citations
  4. A Survey of General- Purpose Manipulation1989 · The International Journal of Robotics Research · 99 citations
  5. Learning reactive admittance control2003 · IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation · 87 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 21 October 2026.

  1. Universities keep AI researchers for a median of 6 years, compared with 2 years at frontier labsIncludes University of Massachusetts Amherst. Across 15,811 dated work stays (6,529 people), median role tenure runs from 6 years at universities to 2 years at frontier labs. We compare all five organization types, starting decades from the 1970s to the 2020s, and the organizations that keep people longest.
  2. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes University of Massachusetts Amherst. 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. People shaping AI work at a median of 3 organizations over a career: 3 for university starters and institute and lab starters, versus 2 for company startersIncludes University of Massachusetts Amherst. Across 6,853 people shaping AI with a dated work role, we estimate a median of 3 parent organizations over a career (mean 3.6), comparing role groups, starting sectors and starting decades from the 1950s to 2020–2026.
  4. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Massachusetts Amherst. 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.

Colleagues

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

Sources and credits

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  1. Roderic Grupen : Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences : UMass Amherst cics.umass.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Roderic Grupen - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Employment History users.cs.utah.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. Planning Robust Manual Tasks in Hierarchical Belief Spaces | Proceedings of the International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling ojs.aaai.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Grupen – Perceptual Robotics | Cognitive Science at UMass Amherst websites.umass.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.