Prof. Achim Lilienthal | LiDAR Perception | Research Excellence Award 

Prof. Achim Lilienthal | LiDAR Perception | Technical University of Munich | Germany

Prof. Dr. Achim Josef Lilienthal earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Tübingen (summa cum laude), following a diploma in Physics from the University of Konstanz. Over his distinguished career, Achim Josef Lilienthal has held leading academic and research-oriented roles across Europe and beyond, including his current appointment as Full Professor (W3), Chair of Perception for Intelligent Systems at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Deputy Director at the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI). He previously served as full professor at Örebro University, founding and directing the Mobile Robotics & Olfaction Lab, and has been a visiting professor at institutions such as Cornell University, as well as a consultant for industry including Bosch and robotics startups. His research interests span mobile robot olfaction (gas distribution mapping and gas source localization), 3D perception and SLAM (LiDAR/radar mapping, sensor fusion, localization), human–robot interaction (intention recognition, human-aware navigation), and eye-tracking–based AI systems for human–robot interaction, driver monitoring, and safety applications. He is skilled in robotics, sensor fusion, 3D mapping, machine learning, perception algorithms, gas-sensing robotics, human-robot interface design, and systems integration enabling development of autonomous intelligent systems capable of robust perception in complex, dynamic environments. Through a prolific publication record of over 300 peer-reviewed papers, supervision of 50+ PhD students, leadership of major EU research projects and startups, and securing substantial research funding, Achim Josef Lilienthal has made foundational contributions to the robotics and intelligent systems community  particularly gas-sensing robotics, safe human-machine interaction, and autonomous perception.