Michael R. Benjamin

MIT Building 5-214
Cambridge MA
Phone: 617-921-6283
mailto:mikerb@mit.edu

Employment

  • MIT Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Principal Research Scientist
    Laboratory for Autonomous Marine Sensing Systems
    January 2011 - present (Principal as of June 2019).
  • Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport RI
    October 1990 - December 2010.
    NAVSEA Scientist of the Year, 2005.

Teaching

  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2022, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2021, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2020, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2019, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2018, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2017, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2015, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2014, Course website
  • MIT 2.680 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2013, Course website
  • MIT 2.S998 Unmanned Marine Vehicle Autonomy, Sensing and Communications
    Spring 2012, Course website

Education

  • Post-doctoral Associate, MIT, Cambridge MA
    Dept. of Ocean Engineering, hosted by John Leonard
    July 2002 - June 2006.
  • PhD, Dept. of Computer Science, Brown University, Providence RI
    May 2002, Advisor, Leslie Kaelbling.
  • MSc, Dept. of Computer Science, Brown University, Providence RI
    May 1998, Advisor Pascal van Hentenryck.
  • Msc, Dept. of Cognitive Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
    May 1991.
  • B.S. Dept. of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
    May 1988, Minor in Psychology and minor in Philosophy.

Awards

  • Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) National Scientist of the Year, 2005.
  • NATO Science and Technology Organization, Scientific Achievement Award 2017 - Development and Demonstration of Networked Autonomous ASW.

Patents

  • Patent #7139741 B1 - "Multiobjective Optimization Method", Filing Date: 07/2003, Granted: 11/2006.
  • Patent #7613533 B1 - "Unmanned Vehicle Control System", Filing Date: 07/2004, Granted: 11/2009.
  • Patent #8830793 - "System and Method for Collision Avoidance of Underwater Vehicles", September 2014.

Recent Publications