Ding Zhao
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment, Computer Science Department, Robotics Institute
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Courtesy Appointment, Computer Science Department, Robotics Institute
Ding Zhao is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is also associated with the Computer Science Department, Robotics Institute, CyLab Security & Privacy Institute, and Scott Institute for Energy Innovation. He is a visiting researcher at Google Brain/Robotics. Leading the CMU Safe AI Laboratory, Zhao aims to create trustworthy AI that is robust, safe, generalizable as well as explainable, verifiable, and human-centric. His long-term goal is to develop fundamental theories and practical technologies to safely deploy AI to address some of the world's most pressing problems.
Zhao is recognized nationally and internationally for his research on trustworthy AI, with applications in intelligent autonomy and healthcare. He is the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, George Tallman Ladd Research Award, MIT Technology Review 35 under 35 China Award, Ford University Collaboration Award, Carnegie-Bosch Research Award, Struminger Teaching Award, and industrial fellowship awards from Adobe, Bosch, and Toyota. He worked with leading industrial partners, including Google Brain, Amazon, Ford, Uber, IBM, Adobe, Bosch, Toyota, and Rolls-Royce.
2016 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
2010 BS, Automotive Engineering, Jilin University
CMU Engineering
Ding Zhao is teaming up with the City of Pittsburgh to improve road safety and eliminate traffic fatalities using AI.
Carnegie Mellon University
Transportation safety experts from CMU’s Safety21 partnered with the DOT’s University Transportation Centers to lead the inaugural Future of Transportation Summit in Washington D.C. from August 13th-15th. CMU faculty showcased their research and innovations with the goal of improving transportation safety.
Forbes
MechE’s Ding Zhao spoke with Forbes about the roles humans will play in overseeing AI output in many industries.
Carnegie Mellon University
The dog-like robot, already known for helping around the house, can climb steep hillsides and use its paws to place sensors on difficult terrain, making landslide monitoring safer for humans.
PYMNTS
MechE's Ding Zhao was quoted in an article by PYMNTS about the most effective ways to automate industry.
CMU Engineering
MechE’s Ding Zhao trains students to enhance the affordability, reliability, and inclusivity of AI through the Trustworthy AI Autonomy course.
CMU Engineering
New course, AI for Humanities, offers a unique perspective on how AI can revolutionize our perception and interaction with creative expressions.
CMU Engineering
New locomotion and manipulation technology from Ding Zhao’s lab will enable four-legged robots to lend a hand in the not-so-distant future.
Popular Science
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted in an article in Popular Science about possible uses for humanoid robots and their capabilities.
CMU Engineering
Large language models enable robots to “brainstorm” creative tool use and perform seemingly impossible tasks.
CMU Engineering
Xi (Charlie) Ren, Victoria Webster-Wood, and Ding Zhao have received the honor for their contributions to their respective fields.
CMU Engineering
Students in Ding Zhao’s lab were awarded the 2022 Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship for their proposal to generate diverse safety-critical autonomous vehicle scenarios using digital twins.
Lifewire
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted by Lifewire on the potential impact of self-driving cars, delivery robots, and drones on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2022 Engineering Faculty Awards winners have been announced.
CMU Engineering
Advances in chips, sensors, and AI algorithms are enabling robots to continuously learn how to plan routes, avoid obstructions, and operate safely in large dynamic warehouse environments.
Time Magazine
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted by Time Magazine on digital twins, an exact digital re-creation of an object or environment.
CMU Engineering
Professor Ding Zhao developed a new course that trains engineering students how to make artificial intelligence trustworthy.
CMU Engineering
Four engineering faculty received NSF CAREER awards to support their education and research goals.
Carnegie Bosch Institute
CEE’s Burcu Akinci and Gerald Wang; CyLab’s Eunsuk Kang; ECE’s Gauri Joshi; EPP’s Alex Davis; and MechE’s Satbir Singh, and Conrad Tucker, and Ding Zhao were awarded funding from the Carnegie Bosch Institute.
WIRED
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted on WIRED on AI reinforcement learning.
Purdue University
MechE’s Ding Zhao is working with researchers from Purdue University on a project funded by Rolls-Royce that is focused on artificial intelligence for intrusion detection.
WIRED
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted in WIRED about using simulations for industrial applications.
Mechanical Engineering
When life throws lemons to mechanical engineers, they make lemonade... and dynamic systems, geometric models, and thermal fluids experiments. There's no stopping mechanical engineers. See what we're planning for the fall semester.
Mechanical Engineering
Leading the Safe AI Lab, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ding Zhao is spearheading research to develop safe, transparent, and reliable AI for autonomous vehicles.