Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering and Department Head
Associated with :
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignNancy M. Amato is the Interim Director of the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science and the Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds degrees in Mathematical Sciences and Economics from Stanford University, along with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois. Previously a professor at Texas A&M University, Amato's research focuses on algorithmic contributions to robotics, particularly in task and motion planning, computational biology, and parallel computing. She has mentored numerous students, emphasizing support for those from underrepresented groups in computing, and has graduated 29 PhD students, many of whom have pursued academic careers. Amato has held leadership roles in various professional organizations, including the CRA Board and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, and she is committed to broadening participation in computing. Her accolades include the Distinguished CS Alumnus Award from UC Berkeley, the IEEE RAS Saridis Leadership Award, and she is a Fellow of AAAI, AAAS, ACM, and IEEE.