Rising to the Challenge
16 February 2016 | Read time: 2 minutes
Bruce MacDonald has been appointed to the new position of Deputy Director.
A leading robotics researcher with interests in human-robot interaction, Bruce was recently promoted to the position of Professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Auckland.
A key member of the Challenge management team, he has led capacity development and the Sensors, Robotics and Automation research theme since the inception of the Challenge.
Bruce joins Sally Davenport, who was recently appointed Director, in leading the Challenge.
He says he is looking forward to the continued success of the Challenge in 2017.
“Now that our researchers number over 100 we have almost doubled the number of our wider team since this time last year. I’m really looking forward to working with Sally and her team in what will be a busy year.”
Outside the Challenge Bruce’s long-term research goal is to design intelligent robotic assistants that improve the quality of people's lives.
He is the director of the University of Auckland’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department's robotics group and leader of its multidisciplinary CARES robotics team. Bruce is also Chair of New Zealand’s robotics, automation and sensing association.