Matthew Johnson-Roberson, a visionary technology scholar and highly accomplished academic leader, will be the inaugural dean of Vanderbilt University's College of Connected Computing, the university's first new college to be established in more than 40 years, C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced today. His appointment begins May 1, 2025.
As director of Carnegie Mellon University's renowned Robotics Institute, one of the world's preeminent centers in the field, Johnson-Roberson brings deep expertise in building meaningful collaborations across academic disciplines, while capitalizing on key opportunities to integrate global industry and institutional partners. His leadership record embodies the founding principles of the College of Connected Computing of "Computing for All" and working alongside all of Vanderbilt's schools and colleges to advance breakthrough discoveries and strengthen educational programing in vital areas like AI, computer science, social computing, digital humanities and data analytics.
"It is rare to find someone like Matthew Johnson-Roberson, whose wide-ranging research brilliance is matched with an enormous capacity to transform a bold vision into reality," Raver said. "We are fortunate to have Matthew join Vanderbilt to launch the College of Connected Computing and shape its bright future for generations to come."
Johnson-Roberson, who as a University Distinguished Professor will hold dual faculty appointments in the College of Connected Computing and the School of Engineering, is a remarkable and curious scholar with expertise in robotics, computer vision, machine learning and autonomous systems. At Carnegie Mellon, in addition to his role as director and department head of the Robotics Institute, he is a professor of computer science and the founder and director of the DROP Lab (Deep Robot Optical Perception), which researches 3D reconstruction, segmentation, data mining and visualization. Johnson-Roberson is also a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
"Matthew Johnson-Roberson is a proven builder and leader whose enthusiasm for the possibilities AI and computing bring to all disciplines is inspirational," Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. "With his broad expertise-ranging from robotics to autonomous vehicles and even musicology-and his commitment to our 'computing for all' approach, Professor Johnson-Roberson is the ideal inaugural dean for the College of Connected Computing. It is my great pleasure to welcome him to Vanderbilt."
Johnson-Roberson brings an impressive record of accomplishment in securing sizable grants and catalytic corporate partnerships. In 2024 alone, he led a department with a budget of more than $100 million and oversaw the deployment of a $45 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to construct CMU's new Robotics Innovation Center. Previously he founded and directed the Ford Center for Autonomous Vehicles at the University of Michigan, a $25 million partnership that led to the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility on that campus. In addition to Ford, he has negotiated master agreements with corporations including Google and Amazon and has developed partnerships with the United States Army.
"I am humbled and honored to be named as the first dean of Vanderbilt's College of Connected Computing," Johnson-Roberson said. "In talking with university leadership and fellow deans across campus, it's clear there is vast potential to make Vanderbilt a global leader in computational-based discovery and education. With Vanderbilt's 'dare to grow' spirit, the College of Connected Computing has all the ingredients it needs to become a technology destination for the world's brightest scholars and students, the most influential companies and institutions, and the most ambitious innovators of our time."
Earlier in March, Vanderbilt announced that trustee John Arnold, BA'95, and his wife, Laura Arnold, committed $25 million to provide foundational support for the College of Connected Computing's faculty leadership, teaching and various strategic initiatives. The gift will establish an endowed dean's chair for Johnson-Roberson and three additional chairs to support distinguished faculty leaders.
Johnson-Roberson was appointed with the guidance of a cross-disciplinary search committee chaired by Krish Roy, the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering.
"The extraordinary interest we received from numerous high-caliber candidates reflected the genuine enthusiasm for the launch of this new college," Roy said. "I am thrilled about the appointment of Matthew Johnson-Roberson. His vision for the College of Connected Computing synergizes with Vanderbilt's incredible momentum. I, and the School of Engineering faculty, staff and students, look forward to collaborating deeply with him and his colleagues in ways that profoundly impact science and society for the betterment of humanity and prepare Vanderbilt students to lead in an increasingly complex, rapidly evolving global landscape."
As dean, Johnson-Roberson will report directly to the provost. Starting July 1, Vanderbilt's Department of Computer Science and Data Science Institute will be among the first academic entities to move to the College of Connected Computing. The college will welcome its first new graduate students starting in the 2026-27 academic year and its first undergraduate first-year class the following year.
The College of Connected Computing will prepare students to lead in a digital world through interdisciplinary learning experiences in computing, AI, data science and more. Harnessing the power of computing in collaborations across fields, students and faculty will unlock innovative research methods that enhance discovery, transform industries and create more efficient, impactful solutions to the complex challenges facing modern society.
Johnson-Roberson comes to Vanderbilt alongside his wife, Dr. Alice Whyte, who joins Vanderbilt University Medical Center as a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, and their 3-year-old daughter, Rosie.
