Dr. Nikolaos Mavridis earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is an academic and consultant specializing in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, with over 90 publications. He is the founder and director of the Interactive Robots and Media Lab (IRML), and has served on the faculty of institutions worldwide, including New York University Abu Dhabi, NYU Poly, and UAEU, attaining the rank of Full Professor and Institute Director. His industry experience includes work at the SAP Global Center of Excellence in AI & Data Science and Aramco Digital, alongside numerous consulting roles. 

Nikolaos’s research and innovation projects have received international recognition, from the Arabic-speaking Ibn Sina robot — which attracted global media attention — to Microsoft-ER-award-winning Facebots, the highly cited Ripley collaborative robot, and a range of vision, interaction, collective intelligence, and social robotics initiatives. 

Beyond his professional roles, he contributes extensively towards the Common Good: he has been a member of the MIT Educational Council, startup mentor for the MIT Enterprise Forum, judge for the UAE Prime Minister’s “Drones for Good” and “Robotics & AI for Good” competitions, founder of the IEEE UAE Robotics & Automation Society, and Vice-Chair of the Hellenic AI Society, among other such contributions. 

He has delivered more than 100 invited lectures worldwide across academic, business, and public venues, including TEDx talks in Geneva, Athens, the UAE, and Tunis, as well as talks for Singularity University and engagements with other global forums.