Dr. Pulkit Agrawal is a preeminent researcher and innovator in artificial intelligence and robotics, currently serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He directs the Improbable AI Lab, which operates within MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and maintains affiliations with the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems and the NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions. Dr. Agrawal completed his undergraduate studies with distinction at IIT Kanpur, where he received the Director's Gold Medal in 2011, before earning his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley under the guidance of renowned computer vision researcher Jitendra Malik. His academic trajectory has been characterized by exceptional achievement, transitioning from doctoral work at Berkeley to establishing one of the most influential robotics research groups at MIT.
Dr. Agrawal's pioneering research focuses on computational sensorimotor learning, developing frameworks that enable machines to acquire human-like manipulation and locomotion capabilities through continuous environmental interaction and learning. His groundbreaking work on in-hand object re-orientation earned the Best Paper Award at the Conference on Robot Learning 2021, representing a significant advance in robotic dexterity and control that has been widely adopted in the field. With over 15,000 citations and an h-index of 35, his contributions have fundamentally shaped modern approaches to robotics and reinforcement learning, particularly through his development of frameworks for multi-step planning, continual reinforcement learning, and foundation model adaptation. Dr. Agrawal has secured multiple prestigious research awards from major technology companies including multiple Amazon Research Awards recognizing his contributions to robotics and generative AI.
Beyond academic research, Dr. Agrawal demonstrates exceptional translational impact through Pulkit Agrawal's co-founding of SafelyYou Inc., a company that builds fall prevention technology, demonstrating his commitment to addressing real-world challenges through technological innovation. He actively advises multiple AI startups including Tutor Intelligence, Lab0 Inc., and Common Sense Machines, fostering the next generation of AI entrepreneurs while maintaining his laboratory's position at the forefront of robotics research. His work has received significant recognition from both academic and public spheres, being featured in prominent media outlets including Netflix, BBC, TechCrunch, Forbes, and Wired, reflecting the broad societal relevance of his research. Dr. Agrawal remains a sought-after contributor to the global research community, delivering invited talks at leading institutions worldwide including Oxford, UPenn, University of Washington, Toronto, Caltech, and major technology companies where his insights continue to shape the future of robotics and artificial intelligence.
