Mr. Pratheek Manjunath is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and the Deputy Director of the Robotics Research Center. As one of the three founding members of the RRC in 2017, he was instrumental in the establishment and growth of the Academy's newest research center. As a roboticist, he has conducted and managed projects across the DoD, academia, and industry, at Technology Readiness Levels 3 to 6. Mr. Manjunath is a recipient of the Peter Zhu Scholastic Achievement Award for conducting and enabling research at the Academy. The department of EECS recognized him in 2021 with the William Lane Award for excellence in teaching, and in 2024 with the LTC Joseph Sullivan Award for being a team player. He has been featured in press releases and articles on autonomous systems published by the Army. He has co-authored 17 scientific peer-reviewed papers. Mr. Manjunath is a member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He is an enthusiastic aviator and a proponent of STEM education.