Women at Oxford Centenary: Corina Gurau

To commemorate 100 years of women at Oxford University, we are asking ORI students past and present how they got into Robotics, and any advice they would have for those following in their footsteps. We caught up with ORI Alumna Corina Gurau for her story and advice.

What is your story, how did you get interested in robotics?

I became interested in robotics when I was a second year undergraduate student (in Computer Science). Since high school I had enjoyed abstract thinking, maths and programming, but what I found really fascinating about robotics is the machine learning part of it, the challenge of making a program respond in an "intelligent" way. Since my internship at a robotics institute and throughout my DPhil at ORI I have been excited about robots performing tasks I couldn't imagine they were capable of doing. 

What advice do you have for aspiring women in Engineering and Robotics?

Find mentors, seek feedback, take on new challenges and never underestimate the impact you can have in this field (and in the world in general). I think it's also particularly important to surround yourself with people who are truly passionate about their work.

What are you doing after leaving ORI?

After ORI, I have joined the exciting world of startups applying machine learning research to real world problems. At Wayve, we pioneer deep learning techniques that drive cars autonomously on London roads while also staying close to the academic community. In the past years I've also been enjoying outreach and making tech more accessible by getting involved in teaching programs such as AddisCoder or the MISE Research Program.

For more information on this centenary of women at Oxford, see here.