Fall 2025
By Silvia Cernea Clark
In April, Lydia E. Kavraki, the Kenneth and Audrey Kennedy Professor of Computing and director of Rice University’s Ken Kennedy Institute, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in American research. With this appointment, she became the first faculty member in Rice’s history to be elected to all three U.S. National Academies — Sciences, Engineering and Medicine — as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Her election marks a milestone not only in Kavraki’s distinguished career, but also in the university’s record of research excellence and interdisciplinary impact.
“I am deeply grateful and humbled to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences,” Kavraki said. “More than an occasion for gratitude and celebration, being elected reinforces my sense of responsibility to mentor and support the next generation of scientists, to guide innovation with care and to ensure that scientific practice remains anchored in human needs and values.”
A faculty member at Rice since 1997, Kavraki holds her primary appointment in computer science and joint appointments in bioengineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering. She was also named a University Professor earlier this year — the institution’s highest faculty rank — marking another landmark distinction honoring her widespread influence as a scholar and leader at Rice.
Kavraki’s research in the field of physical artificial intelligence explores how computers learn, represent and interact with the real world in all its glorious complexity. By pushing computation beyond data analysis toward perception, interaction and physical decision-making, she has introduced new pathways for solving real-world challenges with lasting societal impact.
She is internationally recognized for pioneering algorithms in robotic motion planning, particularly her development of sampling-based motion planners as exemplified by the Probabilistic Roadmap Method. This method transformed the computational foundations of autonomous navigation and remains widely adopted in both industrial and biomedical robotics.
Kavraki’s work in computational biology and computational biomedicine has had a profound translational impact. Her lab has developed algorithmic frameworks to assist in cancer immunotherapy, including tools used at leading medical institutions such as The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. These contributions earned her election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2012.
Kavraki was then elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2023 and, earlier this year, to the National Academy of Engineering.
“Lydia’s recent election to the National Academy of Sciences reflects the extraordinary impact of her work across fields that are shaping the future,” said Rice President Reginald DesRoches. “Her achievements in artificial intelligence, robotics and biomedicine exemplify the spirit of interdisciplinary innovation that defines Rice.”
Her leadership at the Ken Kennedy Institute, which brings together more than 250 researchers in AI and computing across campus, has positioned Rice at the forefront of computational innovation. She has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, and her mentorship has shaped a generation of researchers in computer science, engineering and biomedicine.
“Lydia is not only a brilliant researcher but also a dedicated mentor who inspires her students to think broadly and act with purpose,” said Provost Amy Dittmar. “She has shown how science and technology, approached thoughtfully, can be powerful forces for good.”
Throughout her career, Kavraki has advanced a research agenda that bridges fundamental inquiry and societal needs, from algorithms that guide robotic arms in space to platforms that improve outcomes for cancer patients.
Her latest honor is not simply a personal accolade — it is a testament to what sustained interdisciplinary scholarship can achieve.