Dean of Penn Engineering with appointments in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Computer and Information Science, and Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Kumar’s group works on creating autonomous ground and aerial robots, designing bio-inspired algorithms for collective behaviors, and on robot swarms. Kumar is a fellow of ASME and IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He has held multiple administrative positions in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, including director of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception (GRASP) Lab, Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, and the position of the Deputy Dean. He served as the Assistant Director of Robotics and Cyber Physical Systems at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Vijay is a TED Speaker and gave the Keynote at the prestigious International Drones for Good Awards in Dubai.