Stories

Christopher Kitts, who joined the SCU faculty in 1999, was recently promoted to the rank of full professor, Mechanical Engineering.

Chris received his B.S.E from Princeton University in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, an M.S. from Stanford University in Aerospace Engineering, an M.P.A., from the University of Colorado in International and Defense Policy, and a Ph.D., from Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering.

Chris teaches in the areas of robotics and innovation/entrepreneurship, and created the Design Thinking Core Curriculum pathway, the most popular pathway on campus. He leads the School’s Kern Engineering Entrepreneurship Network (KEEN) program, and led the creation of the School’s Maker Lab. His research encompasses a field robotics program specializing in the design, control and teleoperation of highly capable robotic systems for scientific discovery, technology validation, and engineering education across a multitude of application areas.

In addition to his faculty position, Chris is also Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development in the School; Director of the Robotic Systems Laboratory; Faculty Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Director of the Center for Robotic Exploration and Space Technologies, a multi-institution consortium of academic institutions focusing on aerospace research and education located at the NASA Ames Research Park; and an Associate Researcher at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Among his many honors, Chris is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was also awarded Santa Clara University's Brutocao Family Foundation Award for Curriculum Innovation in 2018 and the SCU Presidential Recognition Award in 2015; and SCU School of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008 and Researcher of the Year Award in 2007.