Jay Gowdy

Jay Gowdy has extensive work experience in the field of robotics and engineering. Jay began their career at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute in 1989, where they worked as a Staff Programmer, Graduate Student, and later as a Project Scientist. During their time at the institute, they focused on software integration, infrastructure development, and system integration for various projects, including a multi-agent architecture for agile assembly and an autonomous vehicle research group.

In 2004, Jay joined SAIC as a Robotics System Integrator, where they served as the chief integrator for a range of robotic technology demonstrations. Jay was responsible for building software infrastructure and developing algorithms to connect the work of different researchers for both classified and unclassified projects. Jay also contributed to Carnegie Mellon's first DARPA Grand Challenge effort.

Following their work at SAIC, Jay joined Cognex Corporation in 2006 as an Algorithm Developer. Jay worked on developing a prototype embedded stereo system for vehicle detection and received a patent for their work. Jay also improved an existing lane tracking algorithm and helped transition it to a new embedded platform.

In 2008, Jay joined Takata as an Algorithm Design Engineer. Jay developed monocular vision algorithms for lane tracking and vehicle detection using Matlab/Simulink and optimized the code to run at frame rate on TI C6000 DSP platforms. Jay became the company expert in algorithm optimization and integration and provided assistance for algorithms related to stereo and monocular vision tasks.

From 2015 to 2017, Jay worked at the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) as a Commercialization Specialist. Jay'smain focus was to ensure NREC's continued support for autonomous vehicle development and testing after a significant loss of personnel to Uber. Jay used their expertise in software infrastructure, based on their previous thesis work, to refine and enhance NREC's capabilities. Jay also worked on producing an on-road autonomous vehicle using existing NREC hardware and software resources.

Since 2017, Jay has been associated with Advanced Construction Robotics as a Senior Scientist, Senior Principal Engineer, and Software Engineer. Jay played a crucial role in developing the perception, planning, control, and infrastructure software for robotic systems used in the construction and maintenance of heavy civil infrastructure. Jay successfully brought the company's first product, a rebar-tying robot, from a laboratory proof-of-concept to a field-tested machine that won multiple awards and gained industry recognition. Jay is currently involved in prototyping and developing the software for the company's second product, which is set to be available to customers in Spring 2022.

Jay Gowdy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Cognitive Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University, where they attended from 1985 to 1989. Later, they pursued a PhD in Robotics at the same institution, completing their doctoral studies from 1992 to 1996.