Amazon's Bhavana Chandrashekhar to Speak at RoboBusiness' Women in Robotics Lunch
Industry data shows that women make up just 35% of the global STEM workforce and 22% of the AI workforce, often leaving them isolated in the robotics field and lacking the professional networks that drive career advancement.
RoboBusiness 2026, scheduled for October 20-21 in Santa Clara, California, addresses this gap with the Women in Robotics Lunch, a dedicated hour for thoughtful conversation and mentorship among robotics professionals. The event provides attendees the chance to form new connections, deepen relationships, and advocate for increased female representation in robotics leadership.
The lunch will feature a fireside chat between Joyce Sidopoulos, co-founder of MassRobotics, and Bhavana Chandrashekhar, senior manager of applied science at Amazon Robotics. Due to limited seats and expected high demand, attendees are encouraged to add the lunch to their RoboBusiness registration.
Chandrashekhar, based in Seattle, leads a team of applied scientists, engineers, and managers building autonomous manipulation robots for Amazon warehouses. Her mission is to develop AI-powered robots that augment the workforce by autonomously performing physically demanding tasks. Her research interests include robotic vision, machine learning, robotic software, and task planning. Notable robots she has built include Robin, which has picked several billion packages, and Vulcan Stow, which has stowed over a million items. She was recently featured in IEEE Spectrum's "A Day in the Life of a Roboticist" series.
At RoboBusiness, Chandrashekhar will also join the Day 1 closing keynote, "Beyond the Demo: AI in Production Robotics," alongside James Davidson, chief AI officer of Teradyne Robotics, and Michael Vogelsong, head of foundation models at Cobot. The panel will explore how these companies deploy AI in robots operating in real customer environments, starting at 4:30 PM.
Sidopoulos serves as chief of operations at MassRobotics, a nonprofit innovation hub, collaborative workspace, and laboratory for robotics startups. She develops programs to expand the robotics ecosystem, connecting startups with funders, customers, and talent, and works with academia to commercialize research. She also mentors and judges in accelerator and university entrepreneurship programs. Before MassRobotics, she spent 14 years at the U.S. Navy's Naval Undersea Warfare Center, including roles as chief scientist for acoustic prediction systems, systems/test engineer, and sonar systems analyst. She also held senior business development, engineering, and technical resource management roles at General Dynamics and other defense contractors, and holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Cornell University.
RoboBusiness 2026 is a leading event for commercial robotics developers, offering insights on robotics and AI across manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, logistics, and more. The event includes networking opportunities such as the Mix and Mingle reception on the first day. Full conference passes purchased before August 31 save $200 and include all keynotes, technical sessions, and receptions. Discounts are available for academia, associations, and corporate groups; inquiries can be sent to [email protected]. For sponsorship and exhibition details, download the prospectus or contact Colleen Sepich at [email protected].