Tye is a leading strategic thinker and engineering professional with more than 30 years of hands-on experience in robotic systems. Tye is chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, where he heads advanced technology and research efforts to further establish Amazon as the preeminent robotics organization in the world.  As an accomplished and proven leader, Tye is shaping how robotics can benefit industry, community, and the Amazon customer.

Prior to Amazon Robotics, Tye spent 15 years with Draper Laboratory holding a variety of technical and leadership roles, each advancing technologies and teamwork for robotics and spacecraft engineering. Tye is a founding partner of MassRobotics, a not-for-profit organization that has become the world’s largest robotics incubator and serves on a number of boards to promote STEM learning and advancement within his community.  He is the recipient of the Exceptional Public Service Medal for outstanding technical leadership from NASA and has been recognized by the Boston Globe as a top ten Technology Power Player in 2022 and 2023.  He holds over 30 patents and has authored over 30 publications related to robotics and autonomy.  He has been featured by major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Wired Magazine, PBS Nova, NBC, Bloomberg, BBC, and many others.  Tye holds a Master’s Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from MIT and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace from Boston University.

David C. Parkes is the Dean and George F. Colony Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Parkes founded the EconCS research group at SEAS, which conducts theoretical and experimental research at the intersection of economics and computer science, exploring artificial intelligence and algorithms for social and economic impact. 

Parkes has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. He was named a Harvard College Professor, a 5-year appointment that recognizes exemplary teaching, twice voted one of Harvard College’s Favorite Professors, has received the Roslyn Abramson Award for Teaching, and the Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising. Parkes has held leadership positions and helped stand up several initiatives at Harvard including the master’s degree program in Data Science and the Summer Program for Undergraduates in Data Science. He was also the founding faculty co-director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative and of the Harvard Business Analytics program.

Following his M. Eng. in Engineering and Computing Science from the University of Oxford, Parkes received a Thouron Award to study at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science. A dual U.S. and UK citizen, Parkes has served as an advisor to several successful startups and is a co-founder and current chief scientist at Boston-based Nift Networks, Inc. He is the inventor or co-inventor on 17 patents.

Robert D. Howe is the Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Engineering in the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He earned a bachelors degree in physics from Reed College, then worked in the electronics industry in Silicon Valley. He received a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, then joined the faculty at Harvard in 1990. He directs the Harvard BioRobotics Laboratory, which investigates the roles of sensing and mechanical design in motor control, in both humans and robots. His research interests focus on manipulation, the sense of touch, and robot-assisted and image-guided surgery.

Dr. Howe is also a leader in new technology for robotic surgery, particularly cardiac repair procedures. His lab has developed motion compensation systems that enable operating on structures within the heart while it is beating. An ultrasound system tracks the motion of cardiac structures, then a fast control system synchronizes the motion of a catheter robot so the surgeon interacts with tissue as if it is not moving. This can greatly reduce the invasiveness of cardiac surgery by eliminating the need for large incisions and use of the heart-lung machine.

Bioengineering and Associate Dean for Academic Programs. He is the founding Co-director of the Harvard MS/MBA program, a joint effort of the Engineering and Business Schools that trains entrepreneurs in launching new high-technology startup companies.

Dr. Howe is a Fellow of the IEEE and the AIMBE.