Prof. Kelly envisions a future in which robotic systems are pervasive, persistent, and perceptive. He carries out research at the nexus of sensing, planning, and control, with a focus on the study of fundamental problems related to perception, representation, and understanding of the world. His goal is to create highly independent autonomous robots for a wide range of tasks, from exploring the surface of Mars to helping with eldercare here on Earth. Prior to joining the University of Toronto in 2013, he was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Robust Robotics Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prof. Kelly received his PhD from the University of Southern California, where he was an Annenberg Fellow. At U of T, he was recently selected as a Science Leadership Program Fellow, based on excellence in research and teaching and a passion for communicating science.