Lynne E. Parker is a globally recognized leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, whose distinguished career spans academia, national research, and public service. A Knoxville native and proud alumna of UT, she earned her master’s in computer science from the university and returned in 2002 as a professor. She later served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Founding Director of the AI Tennessee Initiative, positioning the university and state as national leaders in the data-driven economy. Parker retired from the university in 2024.
Parker has shaped national AI policy across four US presidential administrations. In January 2025, she was appointed by President Donald Trump as Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and Counselor to the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Her previous roles include Deputy US Chief Technology Officer, Assistant Director for AI at OSTP, and Division Director at the National Science Foundation.
An internationally respected researcher in multi-robot systems and human-robot interaction, Parker has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications and delivered more than 110 invited talks in over 15 countries. Her honors include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the IEEE George Saridis Leadership Award, and the CRA Distinguished Service Award. She is a Fellow of IEEE, AAAI, and AAAS, and a Distinguished Member of ACM.
Through their philanthropy, Parker and her husband, Bob, established the Lynne and Robert Parker Computing Scholarship Endowment and the Graduate Computing Award Endowment to support students in UT’s Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
