Bio
Biography, appointments, education and honors
Biography
George J. Pappas is the UPS Foundation Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, with secondary appointments in Computer and Information Science and in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. He is Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Director of the Raj and Neera Singh B.S.E. Program in Artificial Intelligence, and a member of the GRASP Laboratory.
He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1998, advised by Shankar Sastry, and his B.S. and M.S. in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He joined the Penn faculty in 2000 and has served as Director of the GRASP Laboratory (2005–2008), Deputy Dean for Research (2008–2012), and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering (2012–2024).
His research spans control systems, robotics, formal methods, and machine learning, with emphasis on the safety, security, and trustworthiness of AI-enabled autonomous and cyber-physical systems.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of IEEE, IFAC, and AAAS. His honors include the IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award, the NSF PECASE, the IEEE CSS Antonio Ruberti Young Researcher Prize, two IEEE CSS George S. Axelby Outstanding Paper Awards, and the Penn Provost’s Award for Distinguished Ph.D. Teaching and Mentoring.
