Sami Haddadin

Research interests

A visionary leader and consummate professional, Sami Haddadin brings a wealth of expertise to the MBZUAI leadership team. Alongside his exemplary academic background, he has demonstrated remarkable aptitude as an instrumental force behind multi-billion-euro AI strategies.

Haddadin was the founding and executive director of Europe’s largest center of robotics and machine intelligence, TUM’s Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI). MIRMI became one of the world’s leading centers, ranked number one in robotics according to csrankings.org and number two by airankings.org.

Haddadin established himself as a foremost expert in robotics worldwide as professor and chair of robotics and systems intelligence at TUM. He is widely recognized for his pioneering work in tactile mechatronics, contact-aware robots, safety methodologies in human-robot interaction, and autonomous manipulation learning. His innovations range from manipulators and unmanned aerial vehicles to mobile systems, humanoids, intelligent prosthetics, and exoskeletons.

He holds degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and technology management (TUM/LMU), earned his doctorate with high distinction from RWTH Aachen and became an IEEE fellow in 2024.