Aerial robotics pioneer joins prestigious ATSE Fellowship

The Australian National University (ANU) expert Professor Rob Mahony has been elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in recognition of his pioneering work in aerial robotics. 

The ANU researcher is among a select group of leading innovators elected in 2025, chosen from a highly competitive field for their outstanding contributions to applied science and engineering. 

Professor Mahony, from the ANU School of Engineering, is a global leader in aerial robotics research. 

A trailblazer since the 1990s, he helped lay the foundations of modern drone technology. Mahony developed the original control architectures for quadrotor aerial vehicles – now an industry standard – and built the first such vehicles in Australia. 

His seminal work in state estimation led to the creation of the ‘Mahony filter’, an enabling technology for today’s multibillion-dollar commercial drone industry.  

Mahony’s ongoing research in state estimation has driven the most significant advances in modern Inertial Navigation Systems in over half a century. He also contributed heavily to vision-based control of aerial systems and his work is used in many of the automated landing systems present in unmanned aerial vehicles. 

From advanced control systems theory through to real-world robotics applications, Mahony’s research has influenced the way engineers and scientists design autonomous systems and sensing technologies today. 

ATSE President Dr Katherine Woodthorpe said that 2025’s new Fellows represented the breadth and depth of world-class Australian innovation. 

“Our expert Fellows are world leaders – and are working on the game-changing tech and innovations that are helping to solve the most pressing and complex challenges,” said Dr Woodthorpe. 

“The 2025 Fellows are a diverse group of people from across the country and from a range of sectors – experts in medical physics, sustainable engineering, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and more. Our new Fellows are behind truly game-changing innovations.” 

Full details of the 2025 Fellows are available on the ATSE website.