MEng in Robotics and Intelligent Systems

The Master of Engineering in Robotics and Intelligent Systems (MEngR) at McKelvey Engineering prepares students to design, build and deploy intelligent robotic systems through a blend of advanced coursework and hands-on experience in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), perception, control and autonomous decision-making.

Guided by faculty with expertise spanning robotics, intelligent systems and systems engineering, graduates gain the skills needed to pursue high-impact careers in industries such as autonomous transportation, aerospace, healthcare and advanced manufacturing.

What Are Robotics and Intelligent Systems?

Intelligent robotic systems are becoming increasingly integrated into everyday life, with applications ranging from autonomous transportation and advanced manufacturing to environmental monitoring, healthcare and aerospace systems. These systems rely on advances in robotics, systems theory, perception and modern artificial intelligence to autonomously perceive and reason about their surroundings, make decisions and safely adapt to complex and dynamic real-world environments. Recent progress in computational hardware, robot perception and AI has significantly expanded the capabilities of autonomous systems, creating strong demand in both industry and academia for engineers and researchers with expertise in these areas.

What Will You Learn?

The Master of Engineering in Robotics and Intelligent Systems program equips students with the analytical, computational and experimental skills needed to design and deploy intelligent robotic systems operating in challenging environments. Through a combination of coursework and hands-on experiences, students build expertise in areas such as perception, decision-making, control, autonomy and human-robot interaction.

The program emphasizes interdisciplinary training at the intersection of robotics, systems engineering, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, preparing graduates for careers in fields including autonomous transportation, aerospace, healthcare and defense.

Why WashU?

WashU faculty bring broad interdisciplinary expertise in robotics spanning AI, control theory, safe autonomy and multi-agent systems, positioning the program to provide students with a comprehensive and modern education in robotics and intelligent systems.

Primary faculty

Andrew Clark

Focused on control and security of networked and cyberphysical systems

Xudong Chen

Develops revolutionary methods for analysis and control of large-scale multi-agent systems

Jr-Shin Li

Studies complex large-scale systems arising from emerging physical, biological and medical applications

Dennis Mell

Focuses on cross-disciplinary applications of robotics and automation systems

Shen Zeng

Develops data-integrated computational approaches for controlling complex dynamic systems

Ioannis (Yiannis) Kantaros

Designs safe and distributed autonomy algorithms for AI-enabled multi-robot systems

Affiliate faculty

Afaque Manzoor

Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Soft robotics and flexible electronics, advancing technologies for healthcare, environmental monitoring  and wearable applications

Nathan Jacobs

Computer Science & Engineering
Develops learning-based computer vision algorithms, with a focus on geospatial and medical applications

Yevgeniy Vorobeychik

Computer Science & Engineering
Uses techniques from game theory and optimization to create trustworthy AI systems

William Yeoh

Computer Science & Engineering
Enabling human-AI collaboration through human-aware decision-making algorithms

Hussein Sibai

Computer Science & Engineering
Develops trustworthy autonomous systems

Chongjie Zhang

Computer Science & Engineering
Deep reinforcement learning, multi-agent systems, human-AI interaction

Brendan Juba

Computer Science & Engineering
Works on algorithms for integrated learning & reasoning in artificial intelligence