Prof. Peter Stone is a luminary in the Department of Computer Science, where he has been a faculty member for 23 years. Over the course of his tenure, he has been a firsthand witness to the rapid evolution of computer science research and education. This experience informs his vision for the department as one of continued growth, a strong community of partnership, and a commitment to ensuring our next generation is prepared to lead in a future shaped by emerging technologies.
“As computing continues to transform every corner of society, it is also redefining the role and reach of the modern research university,” says Stone. “Computer Science increasingly shapes how institutions generate knowledge and educate students for the future. UTCS is at the forefront of this shift—through groundbreaking research, the talent we cultivate, the technologies we create, and the collaborations and partnerships that we forge and maintain. As chair, I will continue to build on our academic strengths, reinforce our sense of community, and position UTCS to shape a world being rapidly changed by computing.”
Dr. Stone will begin his term as Chair of UTCS in the fall, taking over from the current chair, Dr. Don Fussell, whose leadership over the past eight years has had a profound impact – growing the department in size and reputation.
Stone will be joined in leadership of UTCS by Prof. Isil Dillig, a world-renowned, award-winning researcher in Programming Languages who will serve as Vice Chair of the department.
Peter Stone is currently the Truchard Foundation Chair in Computer Science and a University Distinguished Teaching Professor. He is a founding member of UT Austin's Good Systems and on the Scientific Board of the Machine Learning Lab. He has served as President of the RoboCup Federation and as Chair of the Standing Committee of the One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence. For the last six years, Dr. Stone has been the director of Texas Robotics and will be stepping down to take on his new role as chair of UTCS.
“I'm very proud of what we've accomplished at Texas Robotics,” says Stone. “Growing from eight founding core faculty members to 17, helping to renovate and move into our beautiful facilities in Anna Hiss Gym, and setting up a new blueprint for interdisciplinary collaboration at UT Austin. With the support of a generous gift from Amy and Bill Gurley, we have also established a new, innovative undergraduate robotics program. I'm very confident that Texas Robotics is set up to continue to thrive over the coming years, and I look forward to staying closely involved.”
Stone's research interests in artificial intelligence include planning, machine learning, multi-agent systems, and robotics. His research has advanced how autonomous agents learn, plan, and collaborate in complex environments, including robot soccer, the high-fidelity racing simulator Gran Tuirismo, autonomous traffic management, and human-interactive robots. His long-term research goal is to create complete, robust, autonomous agents that can learn to interact with other intelligent agents in a wide range of complex, dynamic environments.
Stone received his Ph.D. and his M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University, both in Computer Science. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. From 1999 to 2002 he was a Senior Technical Staff Member in the Artificial Intelligence Principles Research Department at AT&T Labs – Research.
UT Austin’s Department of Computer Science is ranked as a top-ten computer science department nationally. The department has nearly 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and prepares graduates for tomorrow's workforce through innovative programs, including interdisciplinary degree programs, a minor in robotics, and a concentration in AI.