Speakers

Dr. Amber Walker is currently the Technical Director for Land Systems at Anduril, responsible for strategy and growth in that domain. She is working to advance autonomous ground vehicle design, payload and software integration, and reduced Soldier workload through both new concepts and targeted pursuits.

Prior to this, Amber was the Associate Director for Autonomy Research at Raytheon BBN working to advance perception via sensing, communications-aware autonomy, and human-machine interface design. From 2017-2021, Amber served as a Program Manager in DARPA's Tactical Technology Office where she developed and managed projects across the ground domain. She worked to advance technology related to rocket motors, ground vehicles, self-reconfigurable robots, and novel interfaces for Soldier communication. Her research interests include human-robot interaction, multi-modal and wearable control, shared autonomy, and other technologies to manage warfighter mental workload.

Amber served over 16 years on active duty with the US Army and continues service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. Prior to joining DARPA, she served in various Army staff roles supporting advanced education and workforce management, including strategic initiatives designed to improve the Army’s proficiency in data science. She has also held positions as faculty in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy and as a tactical Signal officer in the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas and Baghdad, Iraq (OIF 07-09).

Amber holds a Doctor of Philosophy in aerospace engineering (human-robot interaction) from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Science by Research in engineering science from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) - where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar - and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy.

All times are presented in the host university’s local time zone.