The USC Professor Who Pioneered Socially Assistive Robotics

When the robotics engineering field that Maja Matarić wanted to work in didn’t exist, she helped create it. In 2005 she helped define the new area of socially assistive robotics.As an associate professor of computer science, neuroscience, and pediatrics at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, she developed robots to provide personalized therapy and care through social interactions.Maja MatarićEmployer University of Southern California, Los AngelesJob Title Professor of computer science, neuroscience, and pediatricsMember gradeFellowAlma maters University of Kansas and MITThe robots could have conversations, play games, and respond to emotions.Today the IEEE Fellow is a professor at USC. She studies how robots can help students with anxiety and depression undergo cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT focuses on changing a person’s negative thought patterns, behaviors, and emotional responses.For her work, she received a 2025 Robotics Medal from MassRobotics, which r