I earned my Ph.D. and M.S degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and my BS degree from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. I was a La Caixa Fellow. I served as UT Austin’s Lead for the DARPA Robotics Challenge, helping NASA design the Valkyrie humanoid, work that earned our team the NASA Elite Team Award. Today, with 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications, I remain dedicated to bringing advanced human centered robotics out of the lab and into the commercial world.

I bridge the gap between cutting-edge academic research and high-tech entrepreneurship. As a Professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin, I teach courses in human-centered robotics, control systems, and aerospace engineering. Beyond the lab, I am an active entrepreneur — a  founder of Apptronik, as well as a founder and investor in several other human centered robotics and AI startups.

I am passionate about cultivating the global innovation ecosystem, regularly advising companies on their market and technology strategies. I also actively mentor and fund students to help them launch their own ventures.