Philip Koopman
Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Philip Koopman is an associate professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering with additional affiliations with the Software and Societal Systems Department and the Robotics Institute. He leads research on safe and secure embedded systems and teaches cost-effective embedded system design techniques. He has over 20 years of experience with autonomous vehicle safety, dating back to the Carnegie Mellon Navlab team and the Automated Highway Systems (AHS) program.
Koopman’s most recent projects include using stress testing and run time monitoring to ensure safety for a variety of vehicle and robotic applications for research, industry, and defense applications. He has additional experience with automotive and industrial functional safety, including testifying as an expert in vehicle safety class action litigation and consulting to NHTSA. He is a co-founder of Edge Case Research, which provides tools and services for autonomous vehicle testing and safety validation.
His pre-university career includes experience as a US Navy submarine officer, an embedded CPU designer at Harris Semiconductor, and an embedded system architect at United Technologies. He is a senior member of IEEE and ACM, and a member of SAE.
Software Safety for Autonomous Vehicles
Self-Driving Cars Safety Tips Playlist
Education
1989 Ph.D., Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
1982 Master of Engineering, Computer and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
1982 BS, Computer and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Media mentions
Marketplace
Koopman shares his thoughts on attacks against driverless cars
Phil Koopman shares his thoughts with MarketPlace on potential motives behind the attacks on driverless cars.
NPR
Koopman talks public perception of self-driving cars
ECE’s Phil Koopman was featured on an NPR podcast to discuss how the public views autonomous vehicles and their potential.
MarketWatch
Koopman shares his opinion on robo-taxis
ECE’s Phil Koopman shares his opinion on robo-taxis in MarketWatch. “They weren’t as ready as they wanted people to believe. They should operate only with safety drivers, and need to have a serious investigation with independent oversight,” he says about the Cruise AV accident earlier this year.
ABC News
Koopman talks self-driving car safety
ECE’s Phil Koopman has spoken with several outlets about self-driving cars and safety. Koopman has been quoted by ABC, Axios, CBS, and NBC.
The International System Safety Society
Koopman Receives ISSS Educator of the Year Award
ECE’s Phil Koopman is the 2023 recipient of the International System Safety Society Educator of the Year Award for his achievement in, and contribution to, system safety education and the advancement of the state of knowledge in system safety.
The Washington Post
Koopman responds to Cruise CEO claims
ECE’s Phil Koopman responds to Cruise CEO’s claims regarding driverless cars in a recent Washington Post article.
Koopman on autonomous trucking’s impact on driverless cars
ECE’s Phil Koopman comments how an industry shift to driverless trucking could affect self-driving cars.
The Washington Post
Koopman talks safety vs. profit for self-driving cars
ECE’s Phil Koopman talks safety vs. profit for self-driving cars with The Washington Post. “Ultimately this industry is going to be about trust,” he says. “These car companies are using public resources to get free testing platforms.”
The Verge
Koopman calls for transparency on robotaxis
ECE’s Phil Koopman calls for more transparency and improvement on issues the public cares about in the wake of robotaxi backlash.
The Washington Post
Koopman discusses autonomous vehicle safety
ECE’s Phil Koopman, who has been studying autonomous vehicle safety for 25 years, commented on Tesla’s automated driving methods and the availability of illegal “wheel weights.”
The Washington Post
Koopman interviewed on risks of Tesla’s Autopilot
In an article about the casualties of self-driving vehicles, such as Tesla’s Autopilot, ECE’s Philip Koopman said the prevalence of Teslas in the data raises questions.
CBS Bay Area
Koopman discusses California robotaxis
ECE’s Phil Koopman commented on California’s used of self-driving cars and the now-postponed vote to allow robotaxi companies to expand onto San Francisco streets.