Kavita Krishnaswamy is a Ph.D. candidate advised by Dr. Tim Oates at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She received her Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at UMBC while maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. As a roboticist, her work focuses on the development of robotic systems to increase independence for people with disabilities with accessible interfaces.

She lives with a progressive neuromuscular disorder called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and is only able to move the index finger of her right hand. Kavita believes that sharing her personal experiences will not only bring more awareness for building a more inclusive society but her professional expertise can be used to advance robotics.

Along with being named among the “25 Women to Watch” by the Baltimore Sun and “5 Women Under 40 to Watch” by New Mobility magazine, Kavita has been recognized as a Google Lime Scholar, Microsoft Research Fellow, Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She was also selected to attend the prestigious Heidelberg Laureate Forum among a worldwide selection of only 200 students per year, for which the acceptance rate is less than 10 percent. Recently, Kavita received the Patient Innovation Award from the EIT Health Summit 2019.