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February 11, 2016 | 1:38 pm

The Jacobs Institute is an interdisciplinary hub on Berkeley’s campus, and our diverse team reflects this. From our network of faculty and industry leaders to our in-house team of makers and mentors, we’re here to help you explore all things design. Meet the team. 

Jump to: Faculty Leadership / Program and Technical Staff / Student Staff / Faculty, Lecturers and Mentors / Industry Advisory Board / Student Advisory Board / Alumni / In Memoriam

Faculty Leadership

Program and Technical Staff

  • Stephanie Bianco

    Director of Career Development

    bianco@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 210C

    Stephanie Bianco is a career educator with years of experience working in higher education. She has a passion for supporting students as they prepare for their future careers, and is responsible for building a program emphasizing equity, inclusion, and access, and which best meets the unique needs of the Master of Design students at the Jacobs Institute.

  • Amy Dinh

    Director of Academic Affairs

    amydinh@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 210A

    Amy manages student services and academic affairs for the Jacobs Institute, including oversight/coordination of the undergraduate and graduate programs, student leadership groups, and DEI committee. Contact her regarding questions, comments, or suggestions regarding your student experience.

  • Gary Gin

    Design Specialist

    garygin@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 110

    Gary focuses on electronics and robotics. Contact him regarding Jacobs Hall’s spaces and tools for electronics-based making or to hear about his BattleBots experiences. Learn more or book office hours appointment.

  • Cody Glen

    Design Specialist

    codyglen@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 110

    Cody is a designer, fabricator, and roboticist whose work centers around surface rationalization and computational solutions for complex facade and enclosure problems. His interests are in computational design and digital fabrication and their roles within the greater discourse of design. Contact him about CNC fabrication, PCB fabrication, robotics, computation, optimization, and general design questions. Book office hours appointment.

  • Joey Gottbrath

    Technical Lab Director

    joeygottbrath@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 110B

    Joey Gottbrath oversees the fabrication facilities and equipment curricula and leads the technical team. His interests are woodworking and furniture design that integrates both recent and traditional methodologies, and he has managed  experimental fabrication spaces for artists, engineers, and designers in the Bay Area for over two decades. Gottbrath serves on the board of International Symposium of Academic Makerspaces and on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Student Shop Manager’s Consortium.

  • Janrey Javier

    Student Engagement Manager

    janreyjavier@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs 103

    As Student Engagement Manager, Janrey serves the broad community of students in the Jacobs community. He is responsible for supporting student access & participation through outreach, advising, program management, and partnership with student groups and leaders.

  • Gwynne Keathley

    Executive Director

    gkeathley@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 310D

  • Aleta Martinez

    Administrative Officer

    aleta@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 103

    Aleta serves as executive assistant to the Faculty Director and provides administrative and operational support. Contact her regarding building tours and upcoming events.

  • Drew Mason

    Information Systems Analyst

    dmason@berkeley.edu

  • Sabrina Merlo

    Senior Director of External Affairs

    Jacobs Hall 210B

    Sabrina leads marketing and communications at Jacobs Institute and works strategically to advance external partnerships including community, corporate, and government connections and collaborations.

  • Chris Myers

    Lecturer & Design Specialist

    chrismyers@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 120

    Chris Myers is a product designer and lecturer at Jacobs Institute currently teaching Des Inv 22 - Prototyping and Fabrication. Contact him for questions regarding product design, design for 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC, and materials and processes. His specialty is mechanisms and fasteners and he is always ready to help students construct prototypes, especially if they fly, swim, or crawl... 

  • Nicole Panditi

    Design Technician

    npanditi@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 234

    Nicole is a design technician with a focus on 3D printing. She enjoys woodworking and permaculture. Contact her for help on your print, the Jacobs Self-Service Printing service, or to chat about sustainability

  • Chris Parsell

    Design Specialist

    cparsell@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 110

    Chris brings broad experience in digital fabrication, from 3D modeling to laser-cutting. Contact him about high-end 3D printing or to hear about hacking shopbots to draw. Learn more or book office hours appointment.

  • Tyshon Rogers

    Assistant Director of Academic Affairs

    trogers@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 210C

    Tyshon is responsible for enrollment management and student services for the Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation (BCDI) and the Master of Design (MDes). Contact him for any questions about scheduling, enrollment, and other student resources, including MDes electives, requirements and course eligibility for BCDI, and student group support.

  • Erik Sandall

    Operations Manager

    eriksandall@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 110A

    Erik Sandall is a system administrator with a background in libraries and the software industry. He oversees makerspace digital infrastructure, including the Maker Pass access system and online material store. Contact Erik for all makerspace questions. To troubleshoot makerspace access issues, please try our online fix tool. To report that you have a new Cal 1 Card, please fill out this form.

Student Staff

  • Can Aydin

    Student Supervisor

  • Heli Balsara

    Program & Operations Assistant

    Hello, my name is Heli Balsara and I use she/her pronouns. I’m a senior studying cognitive science and data science interested in HCI and UX research. I’m excited to assist new student engagement initiatives and collaborate with others here at Jacobs as the Program & Operations Assistant!

  • Zeping (Phyllis) Fei

    Creative Catalyst

  • Angel Garnica

    TBB Fellow

    Hello! My name is Angel Garnica (he/him/his) I am currently a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering. What excites me about working at Jacobs is that I get to meet so many amazing people with amazing design ideas. Being able to see projects develop over the semester is really cool! It inspires me to work on my own projects as well as learn new ways of doing things.

  • Daniel Hsuan

    Creative Catalyst

    My name is Daniel Hsuan (he/him) and I’m a junior working at Jacobs this year as a creative catalyst responsible for social media promotion and marketing strategy of the maker pass program. Personally, I grew up in a woodworking environment and loved designing futuristic furniture and architectural designs in my spare time. I look forward to my time working with you all. Reach out to me if you have any ideas or inquiries in ways to promote Jacobs Hall to the wider community.

  • Julio Ibanez

    TBB Fellow

    My name is Julio (he/his) and I'm currently a senior majoring in civil engineering. Being at Jacobs excites me because I get to be a small part of all sorts of innovative projects and ideas that people from completely different backgrounds and majors are working on.

  • Hyun Jie Jung

    Creative Catalyst

  • Gracy Kureel

    Creative Catalyst

  • Jennifer Li

    Student Supervisor

    Jennifer Li is a first-year student planning to major in Mechanical Engineering

  • Ananth Nayak

    Creative Catalyst

  • McKenna O’Keefe

    Student Supervisor

  • Dongho Shin

    Creative Catalyst

  • Nian Tong

    Student Supervisor

  • Adriana Vergara

    TBB Fellow

    My name is Adriana (she/her/hers) and I’m a senior majoring in EECS. Jacobs has been a wonderful place to work at because I get to learn about the really awesome projects people work on and be part of a community of people from disciplines and backgrounds that share the same space for creative pursuits. Being able to be part of a collaborative effort to support students in whatever it is they require for their designs and ideas brings me a lot of joy.

  • Yao Yao (YY)

    Student Supervisor

Faculty, Lecturers, and Mentors

  • Alice Agogino

    Faculty Director’s Council

    Roscoe and Elizabeth Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Affiliated Faculty, Haas School of Business

  • Zahin Ali

    Design Fellow

    Interaction Designer, IDEO

  • Emily Au

    Lecturer

    emily.au@berkeley.edu

  • Yoon Bahk

    Lecturer

    yoon.bahk@berkeley.edu

  • Sara Beckman

    Faculty Director’s Council

    Senior Lecturer and Earl F. Cheit Faculty Fellow, Haas School of Business

  • John Canny

    Faculty Director’s Council

    Paul and Stacy Jacobs Distinguished Professor of Engineering

  • Robert J. Full

    Faculty Director's Council

    Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

  • Kosa Goucher-Lambert

    Faculty Director's Council

    Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

  • Amy Herr

    Faculty Director’s Council

    Lester John and Lynne Dewar Lloyd Distinguished Professor, Bioengineering

  • Dennis Lieu

    Faculty Director’s Council

    Professor, Mechanical Engineering

  • Jack McCauley

    Innovator in Residence

    President, ROR3 Devices

  • Drew McPherson

    Design Fellow

    drewmcpherson25@berkeley.edu

  • Scott Moura

    Faculty Director’s Council

    Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

  • Chris Myers

    Lecturer & Design Specialist

    chrismyers@berkeley.edu
    Jacobs Hall 120

    Chris Myers is a product designer and lecturer at Jacobs Institute currently teaching Des Inv 22 - Prototyping and Fabrication. Contact him for questions regarding product design, design for 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC, and materials and processes. His specialty is mechanisms and fasteners and he is always ready to help students construct prototypes, especially if they fly, swim, or crawl... 

  • Grace O’Connell

    Faculty Director's Council

    Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

  • Purin Phanichphant

    Lecturer

    purin@berkeley.edu

  • Vivek Rao

    Lecturer

    vivek.rao@berkeley.edu

  • Ikhlaq Sidhu

    Faculty Director’s Council

    Chief Scientist and Founding Director, Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology

  • Hannah Stuart

    Assistant Professor

    Embodied Dexterity Group (EDG)
    Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Eric Weinhoffer

    Design Fellow

    Hardware Development, Skydio

  • Kuan-Ju Wu

    Lecturer

    kuanju@berkeley.edu

Industry Advisory Board

  • Liam Casey

    Founder and CEO
    PCH

  • Bran Ferren

    Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer
    Applied Minds

  • Maria Giudice

    Co-Author
    Rise of the DEO

  • Charles Huang

    CEO
    Indigo 7

  • Paul Jacobs

    Chairman, Jacobs Institute Board
    Inventor / Investor

  • Dean Kamen

    Founder and President
    DEKA Research & Development Corp.

  • Tsu-Jae King Liu

    Dean, College of Engineering
    UC Berkeley

  • Zexiang Li

    Co-Founder, DJI, and Professor
    HKUST

  • Sonita Lontoh

    Global Head of Marketing, 3D Print & Digital Marketing
    HP

  • Jack McCauley

    President
    ROR3 Devices

  • Jon Sigerman

    Co-founder, Summation Legal Technologies, Inc.

  • James Truchard

    Chairman of the Board
    National Instruments

  • David Tyler

    Safety, Security, Health and Environmental Planning Manager (Retired)
    ExxonMobil

  • Cher Wang

    Chairwoman, CEO, and President
    HTC

  • Yael Zheng

    Board Director
    Poly and Board Director, Splashtop

Student Advisory Board

  • Zahra Baxi

  • Abhay Bhandari

  • Miles Dobrenski

  • Chloe Frank

  • Victoria Lee

  • Khushi Sancheti

  • Drew Singer

  • Hridhay Suresh

  • Wilson Torres

  • Asbah Wasim

Alumni

In Memoriam