Julie Shah, a renowned leader in the field of aeronautics and astronautics, has been named the new head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The announcement, effective from May 1, was lauded by MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer, Anantha Chandrakasan, who highlighted Shah’s substantial technical contributions in robotics and AI, especially in relation to the future of work. Shah’s understanding of these increasingly interdisciplinary fields has implications for social, ethical, and economic challenges posed by AI and computing.
Shah, who has previously served as the associate dean of Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing in the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing from 2019 to 2022, has contributed to launching a coordinated curriculum that currently reaches over 2,000 students annually. In addition, she directs the Interactive Robotics Group at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) and MIT’s Industrial Performance Center.
Well-known for her research into human-robot coworker dynamics, Shah’s work primarily seeks to design collaborative robotic coworkers that complement and augment human capabilities. Leveraging human cognitive models for artificial intelligence, her work has practical applications spanning manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and defense sectors. Demonstrating her thought-leadership in the field, Shah co-authored the well-received book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Robots,” in 2020.
Recognizing her expertise, Shah was appointed the co-director of the Work of the Future Initiative at MIT and later, in 2023, joined the Working Group on Generative AI and the Work of the Future. The latter group explores how generative AI tools augment job quality and encompassing access to new technologies across various industries.
Throughout her career, Shah’s work as a researcher and educator has been recognized numerous times. She attained the rank of associate fellow at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 2017, and in 2018 was honored with the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Academic Early Career Award. Other accolades include being named a Bisplinghoff Faculty Fellow, featuring on MIT Technology Review’s TR35 List, and receiving the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award.
In 2024, Shah joined the inaugural AIAA Aerospace Artificial Intelligence Advisory Group, established to guide the deployment of AI technology in aeronautics and aerospace R&D. Today, Shah is editor-in-chief of Foundations and Trends in Robotics, serves on the editorial board of the AIAA Progress Series, and is an executive council member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
On top of her achievements, Shah is also a celebrated educator, known for her collaborative and caring approach towards mentorship, earning her a “Committed to Caring” nod from graduate students in 2019. Shah succeeds Professor Steven Barrett, who has led AeroAstro since May 2023. Shah’s academic career is a testament to her expertise, with all her degrees – a bachelor’s, a master’s in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, and a PhD in autonomous systems – earned at MIT. After completing her PhD, she spent time at Boeing as a postdoc before rejoining MIT as a faculty member in 2011.
