Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science with SiQi Zhou

In honour of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a global day dedicated to recognizing the achievements of women who are breaking barriers, closing the gender gap, and advancing scientific discovery, we spotlight Assistant Professor SiQi Zhou.

In this Q&A, SiQi reflects on her journey in computing science, sharing pivotal moments that led her toward robotics, as well as her leadership and commitment to mentorship. Her story highlights how guidance, perseverance, and curiosity continue to shape the future of science and technology.

Could you briefly describe your research focus or area of expertise?

The goal of my research is to develop principled methods that allow robots to operate safely and intelligently in human-centric environments. My work combines ideas from control theory and machine learning, where learning enhances the performance and capabilities of robotic systems, while control theory provides the foundation for safe deployment. Recently, our efforts have focused on tightly coupling perception, reasoning, and action to enable semantically safe behaviours.

What inspires you to pursue a career in STEM, specifically in your field?

I enjoy math and theory while also solving practical problems. Robotics is a field with unique challenges that require both rigorous theoretical development and thorough experimental evaluation: theory helps explain what we observe in experiments, while experiments often point us toward interesting directions where new theoretical results are necessary.

Was there a defining moment, experience, or mentor that influenced your academic or professional path?

A defining moment in my academic path occurred during my third year of undergraduate studies, when I joined Prof. Angela Schoellig’s group at the University of Toronto for a summer research experience. This opportunity was my first introduction to the field of robotics and played a pivotal role in shaping my career interests.

During that first experience, I worked on a theoretical problem but was also exposed to robotics experiments. This was the first time I saw the importance of gathering “feedback” from the real world: positive results build momentum, while unexpected results often point to interesting problems to be discovered and ultimately solved. Since that experience, I have focused on working at the intersection of theory and practice to address relevant problems while pushing the frontier of what robots can achieve.

Do you have a female role model in the field of STEM whose work or career inspires you?

Prof. Angela Schoellig has played an influential role in my career. Over the years, she has guided my growth from my first robotics research experience to leading projects and mentoring junior members of the lab. I feel very fortunate to have had her as both my supervisor and mentor; her career path itself demonstrates how scientific excellence and a strong commitment to the scientific community combined with openness to diverse ideas pave the way for success.

What aspects of your journey as a woman in science have most influenced your career and research approach?

I have worked in environments and within a field where diversity is consistently embraced. I view diversity as a catalyst that brings together complementary skills and personalities in support of collective goals. From brainstorming scientific ideas to engaging in collaborations at different scales, I have found that leveraging these complementary strengths allows us to achieve results more efficiently and accomplish goals that no single perspective could reach alone.

What advice do you have for women and girls who want to pursue a career in STEM? 

Failures are sometimes more valuable than successes. Just like running robot experiments, things almost never work perfectly the first time. It takes iterations to understand the nuances; every failure is a trigger to dive deeper. The deeper you investigate, the more likely you are to discover an idea that others have not.