PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Rolf Pfeifer

Rolf Pfeifer is an AI researcher whose work explores how bodies shape intelligence. He studied physics and mathematics, earned a computer science PhD at ETH Zurich, and joined the University of Zurich in 1987 to direct its Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. His work included the RobotCub humanoid project and two books on intelligence: one with Christian Scheier and one with Josh Bongard. In 2009, the University of Tokyo appointed him a Fellow of its School of Engineering. As of October 2026, he is professor emeritus of computer science at UZH.

Works
324
Citations
13,898
h-index
51

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. By 1987

    Professor and AI Lab director

    He earns master's degrees in physics and mathematics and a PhD in computer science at ETH Zurich, then spends three years as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon and Yale. In 1987, he joins UZH as a computer science professor and director of its Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

  2. 1999

    Understanding Intelligence

    With Christian Scheier, he publishes Understanding Intelligence in 1999.

  3. 2006

    RobotCub and iCub

    In 2006, he describes UZH's contribution to the EU RobotCub project and its humanoid robot iCub.

  4. 2007

    How bodies shape thought

    With Josh Bongard, he publishes How the Body Shapes the Way We Think, explaining how bodily form shapes thinking.

  5. 2009

    A Tokyo engineering fellowship

    He is appointed a Fellow of the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 2009.

  6. June 2014

    Japan and China projects

    In June 2014, he announces plans to develop projects in Japan and China as a specially appointed professor at Osaka University and a visiting professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

  7. As of October 2026

    Professor emeritus at UZH

    He retires from UZH in August 2014 after directing its AI Lab from 1987 to 2014. In 2025, workshop organizers list him as an invited attendee affiliated with the university. As of October 2026, he is professor emeritus of computer science at UZH.

Sources and credits

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  1. Rolf Pfeifer | Department of Informatics | UZH ifi.uzh.ch. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. UNDERSTANDING INTELLIGENCE, by Rolf Pfeifer and Christian Scheier, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1999, xx+697 pp. ISBN 0-262-16181-8 (hardback, £37.50). | Robotica | Cambridge Core cambridge.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Reich mir den Ball, Roboter | UZH News | UZH news.uzh.ch. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. Denken mit Händen und Füssen | UZH News | UZH news.uzh.ch. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. Farewell to Rolf Pfeifer - EPFL actu.epfl.ch. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. 25 Years of Embodied Intelligence Workshop | Embodied Intelligence embodied-intelligence.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. Canvassing Switzerland's AI Landscape | Synced syncedreview.com. Checked 15 October 2026.