Dr. Ankit Goyal, ECE Faculty Candidate Seminar
- Sponsor
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Speaker
- Dr. Ankit Goyal, Senior Research Scientist, NVIDIA
- Contact
- Angie Ellis
- amellis@illinois.edu
- Phone
- 217-300-1910
- Originating Calendar
- Illinois ECE Calendar
Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Candidate Seminar
Dr. Ankit Goyal
Senior Research Scientist, NVIDIA Robotics Research Lab
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:00-11:00 am
B02 CSL Auditorium or Online via Zoom
Title: Foundations of Generalist Robot Learning in the Era of Foundation Models
Abstract: Building generalist robots that handle novel objects, environments, and tasks without explicit programming is a key challenge in robotics. Foundation Models (FMs), the paradigm behind Large Language Models and Vision-Language Models, offer a powerful path forward, but leveraging them for physical systems that act in the real world remains an open problem. In this talk, I outline a research agenda for generalist robot learning in the era of Foundation Models. My research is guided by a core principle: marrying the generalization of FMs with the structure and constraints of robotics. I will address three critical questions in this emerging field. First, how can non-embodied FMs output actions? I will present the simplest-possible design for this. Second, how can 2D FMs handle 3D input crucial for robotics? I show how projection-based methods can solve this problem. Third, how can we leverage FMs with specialized robotic components? I demonstrate that hierarchical designs connect FMs and specialized robotic components, providing the benefits of both. I will conclude by outlining a vision for the principled foundations needed to advance in this new era.
Dr. Ankit Goyal is a Senior Research Scientist at the NVIDIA Robotics Research Lab. His research focuses on foundation models for robotics and exploring the connection between 3D vision and robotics. He completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Princeton University and his M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. He also holds a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. Dr. Goyal is a recipient of several awards, including the RSS Pioneers Award, the Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship, Sridhar Memorial Prize for best student in Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur, and the NeurIPS Scholar Award.