Jason Rife named Fellow of the Institute of Navigation

Jason Rife, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was recently elected as a fellow of the Institute of Navigation (ION).  

Election into the ION Fellowship recognizes sustained professional achievements that have helped advance the arts and sciences of positioning, navigation, and/or timing (PNT) through contributions in technology, management, practice or teaching, and a sustained impact on the PNT community. Rife, who was elected ION Vice President in January 2025 and previously served as the Finance Chair, has been involved with ION since 2004.  

Rife was elected for his significant contributions to error modeling and fault mitigation to support safety-of-life navigation. His research focuses on the navigation and control of autonomous vehicles and mobile robots. He is particularly well known for his 2006 paper on paired overbounding, a method widely recognized as a cornerstone of error modeling for transportation systems reliant on satellite navigation systems like GPS. He joined the Tufts Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2007 and has served as chair of the department since 2020. 

Prior to arriving at Tufts, he served as a research associate in the Stanford University GPS Laboratory from 2004-2007, where he investigated the integrity of precision aircraft approach and landing systems based on differential GPS. He received his Ph.D. from the Stanford University Aerospace Robotics Lab, studying animal-tracking applications using underwater robots. 

The Institute of Navigation is a non-profit professional society that is dedicated to advancing the art and science of positioning, navigation, and timing. The society is composed of a diverse community of scientists and professionals, including those interested in air, space, land, and ocean navigation. Learn more about Rife’s research and experience.