M. Bernardine Dias

M. Bernardine Dias is an Associate Research Professor at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, primarily affiliated with the Field Robotics Center. Dias earned her B.A. from Hamilton College with a dual concentration in Physics and Computer Science and a minor in Women’s Studies in 1998, followed by an M.S. (2000) and Ph.D. (2004) in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on culturally appropriate computing technology that is accessible and relevant to underserved communities. Toward this end, she founded and directs the TechBridgeWorld research group to enable technology research in partnership with underserved communities throughout the globe. Primarily, TechBridgeWorld focuses on assistive technology for visually impaired people and educational technology for low-literacy communities. As a result of her dissertation work on market-based coordination of robot teams, Dias also continues to be a recognized researcher in autonomous team coordination. In addition to her research activities, Dias actively encourages women in science and technology and is a founding member of the women@SCS group at Carnegie Mellon University.