Associate Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University

 

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Coffee shop drink of choice? Peppermint mocha

What is a typical day like at your job? There is rarely a typical day. Most days involve answering emails, writing reports, being involved in some way with designing, developing, testing, and/or evaluating some form of technology, managing my teams, solving many problems, planning activities for the future, and much more

What is the most interesting or unusual experience of your career? Leading a discussion on Artificial Intelligence and the cultural conflict with the notion that anything non-human can be deemed intelligent in Ghana.

What has surprised you about your career? Is it like you imagined it would be? I tend to imagine a future and then work towards realizing that vision so I have few surprises in that sense. I have been surprised about how many different things on my wishlist I have been able to accomplish.

Who are YOUR role models? My parents, my siblings, some of my best friends, my husband, and several public/historical people who defied the odds to realize their dreams and contributed to making the world a better place for all of us.

Read more about her career! Robotics Engineer

Bio: M. Bernardine Dias is an associate research professor at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and her master’s and doctoral degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She chose to pursue a career in robotics after writing an undergraduate thesis on the subject. Her favorite part of her job is seeing how the technology she creates impacts people’s lives positively. To do the work that M. Bernardine does, you need to have creative problem-solving skills, technical skills, teamwork, mathematical skills, analysis skills, communication skills, integrity, passion, and a strong work ethic. The most challenging part of her job is getting people and systems to accommodate what she does, since much of her work is non-traditional. Outside of work, M. Bernardine likes to cook, dance, sing, read, watch movies, and spend time with family and friends. She also wants to be a great mom and make a difference in people’s lives, while still making time for herself and teaching herself something new at least once a week.