Vivek Thangavelu

Vivek Thangavelu joined the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks at Arizona State University as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2025. His research focuses on developing autonomous robotic solutions to address critical challenges in ecological resilience and sustainability.

He received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University in 2023, where his research developed bio-inspired, multi-robot construction systems for unstructured environments. He then completed a Carnegie Bosch Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University, developing robotic systems for soil contamination monitoring using in-situ spectroscopy.

His work has been recognized with honors including the Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS) Pioneer Award and the Carnegie Bosch Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship. He has collaborated with partners like NASA JPL on the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, and his research on navigation, multi-robot architectures, and autonomous monitoring has been demonstrated in real-world deployments. In his teaching, he prioritizes a collaborative over competitive environment, equipping students for real-world challenges through hands-on projects. His long-term goal is to advance robotics for environmental remediation, invasive species detection, and precision agriculture.