People

From building skate ramps under highways in undergrad to van life-ing in grad school, Preston has always applied his own creative flair of engineering. Resulting from a belief that engineering is more of an outlook than a career path, his career has brought joy and feelings of fulfillment to every aspect of his life. This is best exemplified by the time when he blended two parts of his life, surfing and technology. During undergrad, he co-founded Waterborne Skateboards, a surf/skate startup, where he also served as a team rider and 3D designer. Graying the line between work and play taught him that you can connect various forms of craftsmanship in spectacular ways. This revelation is what gravitated him to the field of robotics during the transition from his Bachelors at UCI to his Masters at Stanford University. Amid the late nights studying and early mornings surfing, he honed the skills that would bring him to Dexterity AI. There, he automated repetitive tasks to free up people to do what they do best -- be creative human beings. And now, at JPL, he strives to see how far our creativity will take us.