Our Team

Prior to being named CEO, Dave spearheaded PickNik’s Sales and Marketing team, driving company growth and solidifying PickNik's position as the industry leader in advanced robotics applications. His proven track record in scaling businesses includes notable successes such as Uplight, which achieved unicorn status with a billion-dollar valuation, and Smartabase, where he oversaw a fivefold growth. Dave brings this wealth of experience and strategic vision to his role as CEO, guiding PickNik towards continued innovation and market expansion. Outside of work, David is an avid skier who relishes the steep and deep runs at his favorite resort, Arapahoe Basin.

PhD Computer Science at CU Boulder focusing on motion planning and Mechanical Engineering B.S. at Georgia Tech. Dave has 13 years experience working in the field of robotics automation and is a leader in the open source MoveIt and ROS communities. His insights into robot-agnostic platforms for different morphologies, theoretical approaches, and different end-user requirements give him a well-rounded understanding for powerful robotic software. He has worked and consulted for all types of robotics companies including Google Robotics, Open Robotics, and Willow Garage.

PhD and M.S. Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, B.S. Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at University of Tulsa. Nathan's graduate research focused on developing team planning techniques and interaction strategies improving operator supervision of large robot teams. Through this research, he has extensive experience with simulation platforms and field deployment logistics for unmanned vehicles on land, sea, and air.

B.S in Computer Science from the University of Iowa. Jonathan has 25 years of experience in software development, working in both consulting and product settings. He’s spent the last 15 years especially focused on delivering outsourced software solutions for customers and developing professional organizations that deliver quality software and excellent customer experiences. Jonathan believes that strong communication and excellent technical capability form the backbone of developing quality solutions.

Matt is a seasoned technology professional with over 25 years of experience, specializing in robotics software development since 2015. Passionate about robotics, he excels in helping businesses solve complex problems through innovative robotic solutions. Matt's notable achievements include leading the Intel open source robotics team in developing ROS 2 Navigation2. Later, at AWS Robotics, he played a key role in enabling businesses to connect their robots to the cloud and run large-scale simulations.

M.Eng. in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. Jaclyn has spent her career in the space industry working at both large and small companies. She’s been the technical lead of rocket motors and the program manager of contracts ranging from development to large-scale, long-term production.

M.A. in English from the University of Dayton; PMP, ACP from PMI.org. Kyle is a technology professional and project / account manager with over 25 years managing and delivering software, hardware, and telecommunications projects and products. Prior to PickNik, Kyle worked in project delivery for Hewlett-Packard, the University of Colorado, and Ball Corporation, among others. For the last ten years, he has focused on software built with open and frequent customer+user communication, creating confidence in product value well before it ships.

Ezra has over five years of experience in software engineering, and has always had a passion for building user interfaces. He’s spent most of his career supporting spaceflight, which led him back to his love of robotics he’d discovered while competing in FIRST in high school. Ezra enjoys the variety of working across all levels of the stack, all the way from web applications and cloud architecture to serial communication or raw packets over a socket.

Mario is a passionate robotics engineer with over 13 years of experience in mobile manipulation systems. He received his PhD in Computer Science from the University Jaume-I of Castellon (Spain) in 2009. After graduating, Mario worked on underwater robotics in a EU project. He then joined Willow Garage in 2012, where he contributed to the development of ROS and MoveIt!. In 2014, he moved to Everyday Robots (Google), where he led the development of kinematics and motion planning libraries for whole-body manipulation. Outside of work, Mario enjoys building things, playing guitar, and spending time with his family. He is a passionate engineer who is always looking for new challenges.

PhD, MASc, and BEng from Ontario Tech University. Michael has spent over 15 years contributing to the autonomous robot and mobile-manipulator system's body of knowledge through academic publications and industrial applications. He has specialized in localization, trajectory generation, perception, and human-machine interaction and is always happy to share his knowledge using over 10 years of experience as an educator. With an emphasis on software development, Michael has designed, built, and collaborated on many robotic systems ranging from proof-of-concept prototypes to field-deployed robotic solutions. When he's not pursuing his passion for robotics, he can be found scuba diving, rock climbing, or trekking through the forest.

CPA licensed in Colorado with an M.S. in accounting from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Over her career Lynn has worked for small and very large organizations in both business and scientific roles. Lynn brings six years of accounting experience from a mix of public accounting and early stage startups. Lynn's passion is in helping businesses grow by providing reliable financial information to help make informed decisions.

Nashley has a varied background ranging from the performing arts, wellness, nutrition and event planning. Nashley has a Masters of chemistry from Texas Woman's University and is passionate about supporting innovative and meaningful work. Creativity, strategic thinking and hard work are a few of the attributes that she is most proud of. She lived in Chicago, IL working in concert dance in both a technical and performance role and has most recently moved from Houston, TX where she worked with a Nutrition company. She looks forward to what Boulder has to offer and supporting the team with PickNik.

M.S. Computer Science at University of Hamburg with focus on motion planning and machine learning, B.S. Computer Science with focus on distributed systems. Broad experience with autonomous robots and scenarios with unstable dynamics like liquid pouring or pushing of objects. Expertise in motion planning, trajectory optimization, constrained and Cartesian path planning as well as 3D-perception and image processing. Winning team participant in the IROS 2018 Mobile Manipulation Hackathon.

M.S. Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Controls and Robotics from NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. Inspired from a young age by the advances in robotics at MIT Leg Lab, Griswald pursued the field following service in the US Navy. Development of ROS and the PR2 at Willow Garage drew him to the Bay Area, where he was a key contributor to autonomous docking, navigation, and perception at companies such as Fetch, Neato, and Bossa Nova Robotics. Having designed and developed automated on-robot testing systems, he is experienced in delivering robust, production quality robot software.

As a dedicated Quality Engineer Expert with almost 20 years of experience, Jeremy is passionate about ensuring the highest standards of quality in products and processes. His career has been defined by a relentless pursuit of excellence, driving improvements, and optimizing quality control systems across various industries. Jeremy thrives in dynamic environments, embracing challenges, and delivering innovative solutions to enhance product quality and customer satisfaction.

M.S. in Computer Science at University of Padua. Giovanni has worked as a Developer, Analyst and Solution Consultant in several fields for more than 20 years. His favorite languages are Modern C++/Qt and Java. He loves math and computer graphics. Giovanni is a professional photographer, specializing in 3D lenticular photography.

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton. Through his research at UK and his work as a robotics software engineer at Badger Technologies, David has fostered a passion for practical robotics applications and developed expertise in motion planning and 3D sensor perception. David’s graduate research focused on the development and implementation of a real-time path planning algorithm for a robotic arm in an unstructured environment. Outside of robotics, David enjoys playing soccer and snowboarding.

M.S. Mechatronics and Information Technology with specialization in robotics and B.S. Mechatronics and Information Technology at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Sebastian is experienced with using C++ and ROS2 to realize various robotic applications. His previous work includes the development of MoveIt2's hybrid planning feature. He is passionate about robotics and manipulation and eager to deepen his knowledge in motion planning and control.

M.S. Aerospace Engineering with a focus in autonomous systems and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Mandarin, all at the University of Colorado Boulder. Henry enjoys programming in both C++ and Julia, tinkering with simulated robotics applications during his free time, and learning about new developments in motion planning, controls, and robotics as a whole. Outside of robotics, Henry also plays the Irish sport of hurling as a midfielder and enjoys playing and spectating chess.

M.S. Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Controls and Dynamic Systems from NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. Bilal's interest in robotics started in high school where he took part in FIRST Robotics. In college, his interest bloomed when he joined the robotics club and participated in the Trinity College International Firefighting Home Robot Contest. Before pursuing robotics full-time, he spent much of his career working on simulations for dynamic systems, ranging from motors to aircraft.

B.A. from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bryan specializes in crafting engaging user interfaces enriched with 3D graphics. He has a wealth of experience in both full-stack and front-end web development. When he is not shaping the future of robotics, Bryan indulges in his passion for the outdoors and is a former Colorado State Poker Champion.

Paul received both his Ph.D. in Computer Science and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. His Ph.D. research focused on learning from demonstration (LfD) for robot trajectory generation. Paul is experienced in implementing robotics algorithms in C++, Python, and MATLAB. He has experience working with a variety of physical robots, including robots from ABB, Rethink Robotics, Clearpath Robotics, and Universal Robots. Paul is a robotics enthusiast and enjoys learning new concepts.

Studied at the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Software Technology and Management. While enrolled in university, he began his career as a frontend web developer. He has a decade of expertise in web development. His current concentration is on React development while also managing a team.

B.A. in Computer Science from Skidmore College. Nathan has almost 4 years in the Robotics Startup Industry working on multiple user interfaces and applications dealing with robots in the Underwater ROV space, Food Service Industry, Autonomous Trucking and Mail Delivery. In his spare time, Nathan enjoys camping with friends, snowboarding and working on personal projects related to music and robotics.

B.S. Computer Science with a concentration in linguistics from Harvey Mudd College. David’s interest in robotics started in College where he was first introduced motion planning algorithms and ROS. Since graduating, David has worked primarily as a backend software engineer at Google for projects such as Stadia. Outside of work, David enjoys many mountain sports such as climbing and skiing.

PhD Robotics at Colorado School of Mines, and B.S. Mechanical Engineering at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Richard's graduate research focused on nonlinear control, state-estimation, and model parameterization to steer autonomous magnetic-tipped surgical needles. In his post doc, Richard worked on autonomous lunar rover localization and navigation in ROS. While not working on robotics, Richard enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and spending time outdoors.

Graduated with a B.S. in Computer Engineering from NYU, with a minor in Robotics. He first found his passion for the field in high school through FIRST Robotics, continuing through his college career on the NYU RoboMasters team. He has been professionally programming in C++ and Python for a variety of projects, including game engines, embedded devices, and robotics systems. Outside of work, Shaurya loves to rock climb and play a variety of games, both at the table and virtual.