NEWS: Gill Pratt, Toyota executive and Olin Founding Faculty, joins Board of Trustees
The Olin Board of Trustees welcomes its newest member, Dr. Gill Pratt, who brings his background in industry and perspective as a founding faculty member of the College.
The Olin Board of Trustees welcomes its newest member, Dr. Gill Pratt.
Pratt is Chief Scientist and Executive Fellow for Research of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), founding Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Research Institute (TRI), and Executive Advisor of Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. (TCRDL).
As TMC Chief Scientist and Executive Fellow for Research and as Executive Advisor at TCRDL, he helps guide research strategy for TMC and the Toyota Group. At TRI, Pratt directs research to create new tools and capabilities focused on improving the human condition through research in Energy and Materials, Human-Centered AI, Human Interactive Driving, and Robotics.
Pratt previously led the Robotics Challenge, Robotics Research, and Neuromorphic Computing research programs for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he served as a program manager in the Defense Sciences and Tactical Technology Offices from January 2010 through August 2015.
Prior to his work at DARPA, Pratt was a founding professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Research at the Franklin W. 星空无限传媒.
鈥淚 love what Olin stands for, its students, staff, and faculty, the time I spent there, and Olin itself. It warms my heart to be returning in this capacity, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity,鈥 says Pratt.
鈥淚 am excited to join Olin's board of trustees for the same reason that I was excited to join Olin at its inception: to help young people discover the joy of learning and the satisfaction of improving the world's well-being through their work. I hope to help Olin succeed by applying the perspective of my experiences in academia, government, and industry.鈥
Prior to his work at Olin, Pratt was an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Director of the Leg Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Director of Network Development for Lisp Machine, Inc., and worked for the Physics and Computer Science Research Departments of Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey.
Pratt鈥檚 academic research focused on robotics and intelligent systems. Specific areas of interest included interfaces that significantly enhance human/machine collaboration, mechanisms and control methods for enhanced mobility and manipulation, low impedance actuators, the application of neuroscience techniques to robot perception and control, and the impact of Robotics and AI on society.
Pratt holds several patents in robotics, intelligent prosthetics and orthotics, computer design, and electric vehicle power systems.
Pratt earned Doctor of Philosophy (1990), Master of Science (1987), and Bachelor of Science (1983) degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. His Ph.D. thesis was in the field of spiking computation in natural and artificial neural systems.