▲ First Prize
RTA Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport
Delivery Drone · USD 100,000
Dubai, UAE
RTA winners letter
Certificate of recognition
2021
Resume/
Nikolaos Giakoumidis
Engineering physical AI. Connecting research and industry. Extending what people can do with intelligent machines.
Summary
I am an engineer, researcher, and technical leader driven by curiosity, a practical instinct to build, and a deep interest in how technology shapes our future. Across 15+ years of engineering in AI, Robotics, Electronics, and Automation, I have led engineering projects, established and managed research laboratories, and brought people, resources, and technologies together to turn ideas into working systems. My leadership approach draws on a broad understanding of engineering, research, operations, and commercial priorities, combining technical involvement, collaboration, responsibility for delivery, and teaching and mentoring. Currently, at NYU Abu Dhabi's Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, I lead commercialization and industry engagement, working to understand real-world challenges and bring scientific teams and industry partners together to address them. My PhD investigates modular architectures for physical AI: how agentic reasoning and orchestration can connect autonomous perception with platform-specific sensing, planning, and action across heterogeneous robotic systems. My aim is to make these capabilities applicable across industries and processes, from individual robots and machines to interconnected infrastructure and entire operational workflows. I care deeply about AI's impact on humanity and want to help shape a future in which it expands human capability, preserves our ability to make meaningful choices, and creates lasting benefits for society.
Experience & education
New York University Abu Dhabi
2012–Present · 4 roles
2025–Present
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Commercial Lead – AI and Robotics
Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR)
- Lead commercialization and industry engagement for CAIR, working with faculty and external stakeholders to identify industrial needs, assess research applications, and develop technical proposals and pilot opportunities.
- Authored 15+ project proposals in my first year, defining applications for CAIR research in inspection, logistics, infrastructure, embodied AI, and digital twins.
- Completed 5 NDAs with external stakeholders to support further technical discussions and collaboration development.
- Represented NYUAD and CAIR at Dubai AI Festival, Make it in the Emirates, Global Rail, Future Digital Twin & AI, DriftX, and ADIPEC, and in meetings with stakeholders including AD Ports Group, Etihad Rail, GCAA, Kent, Mubadala, MGX, Analog, CycloTech, and Mimik.
- Established a structured engagement process averaging roughly two external visits per week in 2025, leading to proposal requests, technical workshops, site visits, and pilot discussions.
2017–2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Research Instrumentation Specialist – Robotics & Automation
Core Technology Platforms (CTP)
- Established, expanded, and operated research facilities spanning robotics, photonics, and high-throughput screening.
- Led technical decisions across multiple laboratories, including system architecture, equipment strategy, vendor selection, workflow design, safety procedures, and repair-versus-replacement planning.
- Supported 100+ faculty, researchers, students, and technical staff in using shared facilities for multidisciplinary experimental research.
- Stewarded US$9M+ in shared research assets, with responsibility for technical planning and equipment lifecycle decisions. Managed approximately US$800K in average annual procurement, with peak years approaching US$3M, and reduced costs through strategic purchasing and in-house repair of high-value equipment.
- Delivered roughly four student workshops per semester and co-supervised about two capstone projects annually. Managed laboratory activities involving drones, lasers, and RF systems within university safety and regulatory requirements.
2013–2017
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Electronics Engineer, Laboratories
- Established the Electronics Workshop and co-established the Advanced Manufacturing Workshop, then handed Advanced Manufacturing and Electronics over in 2017.
- Helped plan and deliver the relocation of research laboratories from the Center for Science and Engineering to the Saadiyat campus.
- Supported faculty, researchers, and students across electronics, automation, robotics, and scientific instrumentation, including the High Throughput Screening Platform (HTS).
- Delivered in-house troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair of scientific equipment, improving operational continuity and cost efficiency.
- Demonstrated research systems to industry and government delegations, explaining technical capabilities and potential applications.
2012–2013
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Research Assistant
Interactive Robots and Media Laboratory (IRML)
- Supported the setup and early development of NYUAD's first robotics laboratory.
- Contributed to robotics experiments, prototype development, and day-to-day operation of IRML.
- Served as teaching assistant for engineering courses and supported international robotics workshop activities.
Hellenic Armed Forces
Mandatory national service in Greece
2011–2012
2011–2012
Greece
R&D Engineer
Dept. of Advanced Defense Systems
- Conducted R&D on small unmanned aerial systems, including fixed-wing and multirotor platforms.
Experimental Primary School of Athens
2010–2011
2010–2011
Athens, Greece
Teacher of Robotics
- Delivered robotics instruction to school students using LEGO Mindstorms.
- Supported early STEM engagement for young learners.
United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain
2009–2010
2009–2010
Al Ain, UAE
Research Intern
Interactive Robots and Media Lab
- Supported robotics research activities in the Interactive Robots and Media Lab.
- Contributed to project execution across lab research efforts.
G&D Goumas SA, Athens
2003–2009
2003–2009
Athens, Greece
Manager of Industrial and Automotive Equipment
- Managed technical support and training for industrial and automotive diagnostic equipment.
- Worked across Launch diagnostic tools and troubleshooting systems.
Education
2023– Expected completion January 2027
PhD Candidate
University of the Aegean — Greece
Thesis: Modular Architectures for Physical AI: Agentic Reasoning and Orchestration in Heterogeneous Robotic Systems. The dissertation investigates how modular architectures can connect autonomous perception, agentic reasoning, and coordinated robotic capabilities across systems with different embodiments and operating constraints.
2012
BSc, Automation Engineering
University of West Attica — Greece
Thesis: automatic path finding and GPS navigation for a Parrot AR.Drone quadrotor — ArduPilot sensing payload and LabVIEW ground control station (ΤΕΙ Piraeus · Department of Automation).
Awards
Recognition for robotics design and competition performance, with demonstrations and award records.
▲ First Prize
Design EmbedIT Competition
Soft Body Robot · ShanghAI Lectures
Shanghai, China
2012
▲ First Prize
World Robot Olympiad
LEGO Mindstorms NXT · Greek national round, TEI of Piraeus
2009
▲ First Prize
Digital Week Robotics Competition
Athens, Greece
2008
Engineering & leadership expertise
My experience spans the development of individual robotic systems, the facilities that support research, and the partnerships that connect research with industrial applications.
Robotics systems architecture & integration
Connect mechanical design, actuation, embedded control, sensing, and software in working robotic systems. Experience spans UAVs, ground robots, quadrupeds, industrial manipulators, and hybrid air–land–water platforms, from prototype construction and control integration to laboratory testing and field trials.
Embodied AI & cooperative robotics
Develop modular architectures that connect agentic reasoning and orchestration with platform-specific sensing, planning, and action. Current inspection work links natural-language instructions to Boston Dynamics Spot through the Robot Operating System (ROS 2) and Model Context Protocol (MCP), building on cooperative aerial and ground robots with different sensors and mobility.
Perception, navigation & human–robot interaction
Integrate cameras, thermal sensing, LiDAR, motion capture, and positioning systems for perception experiments, mapping, navigation, and inspection. Work includes UAV detection and tracking, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), motion-based teleoperation, and gaze-controlled assistive robotics. Use simulation and physical experiments to develop and evaluate systems.
Electronics, instrumentation & laboratory automation
Design custom electronics and automate experimental workflows, including schematic capture, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, embedded interfaces, LabVIEW control, and robotic instrument integration. Experience includes ASIC test hardware, programmable research instruments, Thermo Fisher Momentum workflows, FANUC robots, and optical/RF characterization infrastructure for photonics research.
Research infrastructure & technical leadership
Translate scientific requirements into facility designs, equipment strategies, procurement decisions, and commissioned research platforms. Led Kinesis from concept to operation and stewarded US$9M+ in assets across shared facilities serving 100+ faculty, researchers, students, and technical staff. Responsibilities include vendor coordination, safety, maintenance strategy, technical training, and student supervision.
Related work
Research translation & industry collaboration
Connect faculty research with industrial problems and shape technical proposals, demonstrations, and pilot opportunities. Combine familiarity with UAE industry and research institutions with direct engineering experience to assess applications and communicate their technical value. Current responsibilities include commercialization development, external engagement, and coordination between researchers and prospective industry partners.
Exhibitions
Industry engagement and society outreach are recorded on the Outreach page.
Certifications
Professional RPAS Certificate
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority
Multirotor & Fixed Wing
2023
Deep Learning for Robotics
NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute
2019
KUKA LBR iiwa Commissioning and Programming
KUKA College
2019
Deep Reinforcement Learning Nanodegree
Udacity
2019