About me
I’m a Mexico City born and raised Mechanical Engineer with a creative mind, a passion for machines and a strong bias for a user-centered design approach. I currently live in New York City and work at Pensa where I lead the engineering efforts for all of our client-based projects, and where I’m also the technical lead for the DIWire family of products. I live for designing clever mechanical solutions to complex technical problems (think of a highly reliable, long-life shear wire cutter that is powered by the existing bend actuator without modifying the assembly, that can apply KN of force, and that is fully packaged inside a 10mm steel shaft).
Previously I worked at Unilife where I designed and developed ground breaking, safe, comfortable, usable and desirable drug delivery systems. My work was focused mostly on reconstitution syringes and mechanical auto injectors.
Going back in time, previous to Unilife I built big robots for the moon and small robots to help autistic kids improve their social skills; I got a Masters degree in Product Development at Carnegie Mellon University after founding my own company in Mexico City; I consulted inventors and companies on how to patent and protect their inventions; and defined the location of a new refinery. I created and managed the maintenance department of an adventure park in Baja; I designed components for Chrysler cars; and rotated around all the departments of a major brewery in Mexico City to make sure beer kept always flowing.
What I know
I got my BS in Mechanical Engineering at a school that really valued and promoted hands-on experience as a learning tool, which enabled me to get involved with a couple of professors that really propelled me in my understanding of materials, machines and manufacturing processes.
Thanks to these friendships and my innate curiosity, I graduated in 2006 with more than 1000 hours of shop and lab time under my belt. The skills and knowledge I developed and gathered during all those hours have served me well in several professional opportunities and have turned me into an avid maker.
I learned to think about the users when I designed my first backpack and learned several methods to understand them when I got my Masters. Now I am committed to the users and make sure I start each project by understanding who they are and what their needs truly are. I believe there is no point on doing it otherwise.
At work
I value hard work, team work and commitment over many other things. I am way more prolific when I work on projects I believe on, and with people with whom I share my beliefs. I don’t mind putting long hours for a project as long as we’re all on it together, and I thrive in diverse and agile environments in which ideas can be bounced and where the information flow is free of red tapes.
I’m good at prioritizing when I have a clear (and realistic) deadline, and I can juggle many projects at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy calm and well organized projects, but the thrill of an upcoming deadline gets me going.
Outside Work
I love to tinker and experiment with physical things by strapping them to Arduinos. Thanks to my professor Nick Durrant I learned to appreciate the beauty of the physicality of things and that things can be augmented by digital information and vice-versa. So half of my apartment is filled with bits and pieces of ongoing projects, including a weighted backpack for long hiking training, a portable energy generator and a smart coffeemaker.
I love baking bread and cooking my Mexican food, and if you’re around me for long enough you’ll get to try them both. I don’t follow sports, but I do love to hike, Parkour and martial arts. I love to be in the outdoors and I need to be in motion.
I love reading cyberpunk and space novels. I got hooked when I read my first Asimov book and I found it visionary. I enjoy stories that are accurate and fantastic at the same time, and I love to see when some of those crazy ideas actually come to life some decades later (space travel, anyone?).
My interests
I realize that the future that I dream of is only going to happen if I get my hands into it, so I’m looking forward to working in projects, companies or industries where I can have a direct and visible impact in the way we live our lives, especially in the fields of manufacturing, exploration and transportation. I want to help create the robots, machines, vehicles, tools and gear that will enable us to take the next big step.
Get in touch
Please don’t hesitate to send me a note if you’d like to learn more about me or about my projects. I’m always happy to talk!