Lynne Parker, Ph.D., is a globally recognized leader in artificial intelligence and robotics, with a career spanning public service, research, and higher education. She served across three U.S. Presidential administrations at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, including as Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Founding Director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative, where she helped shape national AI research, education, and workforce policy. Dr. Parker is Associate Vice Chancellor Emerita and a longtime professor (now retired) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), where she also served as Interim Dean of the Tickle College of Engineering and founded the Distributed Intelligence Laboratory. Earlier in her career, she was a Distinguished Research and Development Staff Member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a Division Director at the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Parker earned her Ph.D. in computer science from MIT. She has authored over 140 peer-reviewed papers and delivered more than 110 invited lectures across 15+ countries. Her accolades include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Computing Research Association’s Distinguished Service Award, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society’s George Saridis Leadership Award, and numerous alumni and university honors, including recognition in 2025 as a Distinguished Alumni of UT. She is a Fellow of IEEE, AAAI, and AAAS, and a Distinguished Member of ACM.