Lidia Al-Zogbi Joins the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is excited to welcome Assistant Professor Lidia Al-Zogbi, starting August 1, 2026. 

Prior to joining Tufts, Al-Zogbi was a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Computer Science at Vanderballt University, where she worked on probabilistic multimodal sensor fusion for real-time perception of deformable and topologically changing surgical environments. She received her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2025 under the supervision of Professor Axel Krieger, and her M.S. and B.E. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland and the American University of Beirut, respectively.  

Her doctoral research focused on autonomous medical robotic systems for diagnostic and interventional applications, including ultrasound-guided robotic solutions for trauma care, and needle-tissue interaction modeling and control for prostate biopsies. Al-Zogbi was recognized as a Rising Star in Mechanical Engineering by Carnegie Mellon University in 2024 and was featured in the Microsoft Future Leaders in Robotics and AI seminar series in 2023. Her broader research aims to advance robotic technology in medicine, with a particular focus on increasing levels of autonomy in robotic systems.  

This work includes designing and prototyping robotic systems with autonomy considered from the outset, as well as integrating multimodal sensing approaches to augment intraoperative perception. Al-Zogbi is also interested in developing methods that enable advanced reasoning about the surgical environment, allowing robotic systems to dynamically adapt their plans and controls toward more precise, safer, and more accessible patient care. 

At Tufts, Al-Zogbi will continue to advance autonomous robotic systems with a goal of improving human health.