Ding Zhao
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.
USDOT 2022 Cybersecurity Forum
Making AI Safer for Autonomous Vehicles
Education
2016 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
2010 BS, Automotive Engineering, Jilin University
Affiliations
Media mentions
CMU Engineering
2023 Dean’s Early Career Fellows announced
Xi (Charlie) Ren, Victoria Webster-Wood, and Ding Zhao have received the honor for their contributions to their respective fields.
CMU Engineering
Driving autonomy into the metaverse
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
Zhao quoted on reducing emissions using AI
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.
2022 Faculty Awards announced
The 2022 Engineering Faculty Awards winners have been announced.
CMU Engineering
Robots that can learn to safely navigate warehouses
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
Zhao quoted on digital twins
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted by Time Magazine on digital twins, an exact digital re-creation of an object or environment.
CMU Engineering
Artificial Intelligence you can trust
Professor Ding Zhao developed a new course that trains engineering students how to make artificial intelligence trustworthy.
CMU Engineering
NSF CAREER grants awarded to engineering faculty
Four engineering faculty received NSF CAREER awards to support their education and research goals.
Carnegie Bosch Institute
Engineering faculty receives CBI funding
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
Zhao quoted on AI
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted on WIRED on AI reinforcement learning.
Purdue University
Zhao’s AI research funded by Rolls-Royce
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
Zhao quoted on simulations
MechE’s Ding Zhao was quoted in WIRED about using simulations for industrial applications.