Vandi Verma, JPL Engineer Behind Perseverance's First AI-Autonomous Mars Drives

Vandi Verma, an Indian-origin robotics engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has played a key role in a historic breakthrough in space exploration, leading the team behind the first-ever artificial intelligence–planned drives conducted on another planet. NASA confirmed that the Perseverance Mars rover successfully completed these autonomous drives on December 8 and 10, marking a major milestone in planetary mobility.

Verma serves as a principal engineer at JPL and is the deputy section manager for the Mobility and Robotics Section. She is also the chief engineer of robotic operations for the Mars 2020 mission, which includes the Perseverance rover. Her work focuses on enabling rovers to navigate complex and unpredictable terrain with minimal human intervention, a capability seen as crucial for future deep-space missions.

Born in India, Verma grew up in a family with strong links to aviation, an influence that shaped her early interest in engineering and technology. Her father served in the Indian Air Force, exposing her from a young age to aircraft, systems, and problem-solving environments. She completed her undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, before moving to the United States for advanced studies.

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Verma went on to earn her master’s degree and PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, one of the world’s leading institutions in the field. Before joining NASA, she led teams that developed PLEXIL, a formally verifiable plan execution language now deployed in robotic and human spaceflight projects, according to NASA.

The AI-driven system used by Perseverance analysed orbital imagery and onboard navigation data to identify rocks, slopes, and sand traps, allowing the rover to independently chart safe driving routes. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the achievement demonstrated how autonomous technologies can expand exploration capabilities and improve efficiency as missions operate farther from Earth.

Experts say Verma’s work has far-reaching implications, particularly for future Mars missions and potential human exploration, where faster decision-making and reduced dependence on Earth-based commands will be essential.

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