July 15, 2025
On July 14, 2025, Dean Nancy Allbritton shared the following announcement with the College of Engineering community:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Karen Leung as Director of the UW-Amazon Science Hub, effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Karen Leung
Karen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Director of the Control and Trustworthy Robotics Laboratory. Her research focuses on developing safe, intelligent, and trustworthy robotic systems, particularly those operating in safety-critical, human-interactive environments. Prior to joining UW, she was a Research Scientist at NVIDIA in the Autonomous Vehicle Research Group. She earned her Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in 2021.
Karen will lead the Amazon Science Hub’s efforts to develop research and education programs in the areas of robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies, including fellowships for doctoral students and collaborative research projects. Her leadership will be instrumental in advancing the Hub’s mission to accelerate scientific discovery and address real-world challenges.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Dr. Josh Smith, who served as the inaugural Director of the UW–Amazon Science Hub. Under his leadership, the Hub successfully launched and established a strong foundation in robotics and AI research. Josh's technical expertise, collaborative spirit, and dedication to student and faculty engagement have been instrumental in building the Hub’s early momentum.
Please join me in congratulating Karen, and in thanking Josh for his impactful leadership.