PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Yangsheng Xu

Yangsheng Xu is a roboticist whose research spans space robotics, intelligent systems and artificial intelligence. At Carnegie Mellon, he worked on the space manipulator SM2; at CUHK, he co-created Treebot, which climbs from tree trunks to branches. His work includes more than 30 robots and intelligent systems, and CUHK-Shenzhen appointed him its first president in 2013. He is CUHK-Shenzhen's president in 2026.

Born
1958

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1982–1984

    Engineering degrees

    He earns a BEng and MEng in engineering at Zhejiang University in 1982 and 1984.

  2. 1989–1997

    Space robots at Carnegie Mellon

    He receives a robotics PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989 and works at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute from 1989 to 1997. A 1994 paper coauthored with H. Benjamin Brown, Shigeru Aoki and Takeo Kanade presents the Self-Mobile Manipulator (SM2), a space robot designed to work on Space Station Freedom's trusswork and exterior surfaces.

  3. 1997–2004

    Research at CUHK

    He joins CUHK in 1997 and chairs its Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering until 2004. His research spans robotics, intelligent systems, artificial intelligence and self-learning systems.

  4. 2007

    Chinese Academy membership

    He is elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2007.

  5. 2009–2014

    Vice-president at SIAT

    At the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, he serves as vice-president of its first leadership team and deputy leader of the preparatory construction group from 2009 to 2014.

  6. 2011–2012

    Treebot climbs trees

    With Tin Lun Lam, he develops Treebot in CUHK's Advanced Robotics Laboratory for plant health checks. A 2012 paper describes the robot's ability to climb from a tree trunk to a branch.

  7. 2013

    President of CUHK-Shenzhen

    CUHK-Shenzhen appoints him its first president in 2013. He designs and develops more than 30 robots and intelligent systems, including a lunar robot and a family service robot.

  8. September 2026

    President at the 2026 inauguration

    In September 2026, he attends the university's inauguration as its president.

Career

  1. Since 2013Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShenzhenPresident
  2. 2009–2014Chinese Academy of SciencesVice-president; Deputy leader of the preparatory construction group
  3. 1997–2004Chinese University of Hong KongDepartment chair
  4. 1989–1997Carnegie Mellon University

Education

  1. 1989University of PennsylvaniaPhD
  2. 1984Zhejiang UniversityMEng
  3. 1982Zhejiang UniversityBEng

From the biography.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. 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. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. We estimate that Google holds the highest combined h-index at 8,016, while universities account for 73% of the deduplicated total across AI organizations.
  3. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. 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.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Carnegie Mellon 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.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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

  1. Prof. Xu Yangsheng Appointed the First President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen cpr.cuhk.edu.hk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. CUHK Professor Xu Yangsheng Elected Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering cuhk.edu.hk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Mobility and manipulation of a light-weight space robot publications.ri.cmu.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. XU, Yangsheng sse.cuhk.edu.cn. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. XU Yangsheng----Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences english.siat.ac.cn. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Mimicking Mother Nature iso.cuhk.edu.hk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Biologically inspired tree-climbing robot with continuum maneuvering mechanism research.cuhk.edu.hk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  8. 2026 Inauguration Ceremony | At the Crossroads of Shenzhen and the Asia-Pacific cuhk.edu.cn. Checked 21 October 2026.