Dr. Stephen Smith

Professor

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Biography

Stephen L. Smith is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Autonomous Systems and serves as the Director of the Autonomous Systems Laboratory. Furthermore, he is the Co-Director of the Waterloo Data & Artificial Intelligence Institute (Waterloo.AI). Smith completed his postdoctoral research at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and possesses degrees from Queen's University, the University of Toronto, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and has held advisory and consulting roles leading companies in transportation robotics. His contributions to the field are recognized through his roles on editorial boards and organizing committees for major IEEE journals and conferences. He has received several awards, including the Early Researcher Award from the Province of Ontario and multiple Outstanding Performance Awards from the University of Waterloo. Stephen's research interests include control optimization of autonomous systems, particularly safe motion planning and human-autonomy interaction.

Research Interests

Awards

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Marsland Faculty Fellow Award

2025-01-01
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Outstanding Performance Award

2024-01-01
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Engineering Distinguished Performance Award

2023-01-01
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Outstanding Performance Award

2019-01-01
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Canada Research Chair Autonomous Systems

2017-01-01
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Early Researcher Award

2016-01-01
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Outstanding Performance Award

2016-01-01

Patents

System Method Replanning Coverage Environments Unknown Obstacles

18/593,009 2024-03-01

System Method Minimum Turn Coverage Arbitrary Non-Convex Regions

17/943,634 2023-01-01

Systems, Methods, Media Occlusion-Aware Motion Planning

11,834,077 2023-01-01

Method, System Apparatus Generating AI Data

10,823,572 2020-01-01

Fixed Segmented Lattice Planning Mobile Automation Apparatus

10,591,918 2020-01-01

Courses

ECE 380 - Analog Control Systems ECE 406 - Algorithm Design Analysis ECE 686 - Filtering Control Stochastic Linear Systems MTE 481 - Mechatronics Engineering Design Project MTE 482 - Mechatronics Engineering Project

Requirements for University of Waterloo

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:6.5
Reading
Required:6.5
Writing
Required:6.5
Speaking
Required:6.5
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Listening
Required:22
Reading
Required:22
Writing
Required:22
Speaking
Required:22
Total
Required:90
Prerequisites
Honours Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Strong background in Statistics
Application Checklist
  • Transcripts
  • 3 Academic References
  • Statement of Interest
  • Supplementary Information Form
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

Includes fields like Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology.