ISSNAF Innovator TEF Award for STEM Entrepreneur 2025: Congratulation to Dr. Francesco Borrelli

Dr. Francesco Borrelli, Chief AI and Robotics Officer at Nextracker, Inc., and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, has been named the recipient of the ISSNAF Innovator 2025 TEF Award for STEM Entrepreneur in the field of Robotics.

This recognition, presented in partnership with the Tech European Foundation (TEF), marks the launch of a new award program celebrating Italian innovation and entrepreneurship across North America.

The The ISSNAF Innovator Award honors Italian researchers and innovators who demonstrate exceptional talent in uniting scientific excellence with entrepreneurial vision, creating meaningful impact on both sides of the Atlantic.

The TEF Award for STEM Entrepreneur in Robotics serves as the inaugural category of this broader initiative, laying the foundation for a new series of honors that will spotlight Italian ingenuity and leadership in diverse fields of science and technology.

As the first-ever recipient of this distinction, Dr. Borrelli exemplifies the spirit of the award through his pioneering contributions to predictive control, robotics, and autonomous systems. In addition to his academic leadership at UC Berkeley, he has founded multiple technology ventures and currently leads AI and robotics strategy at Nextracker, a global leader in solar tracking systems.

With this inaugural edition, ISSNAF opens a new chapter in recognizing the next generation of Italian innovators shaping the future of science, technology, and entrepreneurship in US and Canada.

About the winner

Francesco Borrelli earned his Laurea degree from the University of Naples Federico II (1998) and his Ph.D. from ETH Zurich (2002). He is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where he leads research in predictive control and its applications to robotics and autonomous systems.

His pioneering work has earned him major distinctions, including the NSF CAREER Award, the IEEE Control System Technology Award, election as IEEE Fellow, the IFAC Industrial Achievement Award, and the 2025 Control Practice Award from the American Automatic Control Council.

Beyond academia, Dr. Borrelli has applied his research to industry through ventures he founded—BrightBox Technologies and WideSense Inc.—and through leadership roles such as Chief AI and Robotics Officer at Nextracker, Inc., where he guides global AI and robotics strategy. His work continues to advance intelligent systems for sustainable transportation and energy.