In 2005, she was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for contributions to image and video analysis and affective computing.

[6] In 2021 she was elected to the National Academy of Inventors,[7] which recognizes outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.

[20] Applications of their research include improved tutoring systems and assistive technology for use in addressing the verbal communications difficulties experienced by individuals with autism.

The company was based on technologies the two began developing at the Affective Computing Research Group within the MIT Media Lab.

[2][30] In April 2014, Picard co-founded Empatica, Inc, a business creating wearable sensors and analytics to help people understand and communicate physiological changes involved in emotion.

Her team created an "emotional-social intelligence prosthesis" (ESP), that allowed a person diagnosed with autism to monitor their own facial reactions in order to educate them on social cues in others.

With devices that can measure heart-rate, electrodermal activity, and other physiological changes, and that are non-obtrusive and simple to wear (Picard uses an example of the iCalm sensor) emotional responses can be more accurately observed in a real life.

"[38] Picard is one of the signatories of the Discovery Institute's A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism, a petition which states that: We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life.

[35] She argues that the media has created a false dilemma by dividing everyone into two groups, supporters of intelligent design or evolution.

"[40] Furong Huang, an associate professor at the University of Maryland, remarked on social media that Picard's comments were "not just inappropriate but also profoundly disheartening".

[40] Picard issued a public apology, stating that mentioning nationality was unnecessary and caused "unintended negative associations" that she deeply regretted.