Deepak Pathak, the Raj Reddy Associate Professor of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Young Investigator Award by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). This recognition highlights the exceptional promise of early career faculty in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) whose research has the potential to advance critical capabilities for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
This year, a total of 23 university professors will receive a share of $17 million in funding to support their research addressing important naval challenges. Pathak’s project, titled “Learning To Reason via Exploration in the Open World,” aims to develop artificial intelligence systems that can operate effectively in real-world environments, tackling complex tasks that range from digital to physical challenges.
Pathak’s innovative research seeks to transform how AI models function, focusing on enabling autonomous exploration, self-supervised reasoning, and continuous adaptation. His approach emphasizes the importance of learning from interactions with environments rather than depending solely on static datasets. This shift aims to improve AI’s ability to make informed decisions in new and unpredictable situations. The ultimate goal is to create AI systems that can generalize learning more like humans, adapting their responses based on experience over time.
Impact on Naval and Broader Applications
The implications of Pathak’s research extend beyond naval applications. More resilient and adaptable AI systems could significantly enhance disaster-response robots, industrial automation, and autonomous transportation. By fostering machines that learn to reason through exploration, Pathak’s work moves AI closer to the capability of operating safely and reliably in open-world scenarios.
At Carnegie Mellon, Pathak leads the Pathak Research Group, which draws inspiration from psychology to explore the intersection of computer vision, machine learning, and robotics. The group’s mission is to design practical systems that can function beyond strictly controlled environments.
In addition to his academic contributions, Pathak is the co-founder and CEO of Skild AI, a company focused on developing a general-purpose “brain” designed to control robots for various tasks. Skild AI emphasizes delivering tangible and impactful solutions, and the company is currently valued at over $14 billion.
For further details about the Young Investigator Program and the significance of this award, visit the ONR’s official website.
For more information, contact:
Aaron Aupperlee
412-268-9068
[email protected]
