About Lunatic Labs

Lunatic Laboratories, a small startup company built from two parts crazy and one part genius — or maybe it’s the other way around, I forget.

A bit about me, I served in the US Marine Corps and after seeing one too many friends get prematurely separated from limbs, I decided to do something about it. I started this company in 2014. We design and make custom low-cost or free prosthetics for people. Usually one-offs that allow a person to do a specific task, but not always. Sometimes they want a prosthetic that looks unique and we do that too.

I am an engineer with a large biomedical background. I like to think of myself as a geeky science/sci-fi nerd, and I’ve been called an avid maker by the people who know me best. I have a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering and I am currently a Ph.D candidate in neuroengineering. I’ve also started working in a hospital full-time as a researcher.

If you are here you also probably want to know about the blog.

These days I’ve moved away from the prosthetics side and dedicated the blog to what I’m calling the 365 Days of Academia project! It’s a glimpse into the PhD process. Of course, this project has turned into so much more than just academia! It’s a look into who I am as a person, my difficulties with education, and my struggles with the world as a whole. Originally it was going to be a one year or like the name of the project 365 days. However, I liked it so much I decided that I am going to continue it until I have my PhD.

Every year (at minimum) I update my bio to keep it current with what year of the project we’re on. It’s that time again to update and we’re now on year four of the project and year five of my PhD. The past year has been incredible, I’m a DARPA Riser, I got a grant to fund my dissertation project, and I’m working full-time in a hospital doing research. I’m hoping to graduate spring of 2023, so there’s work to be done, but I’m finally on the last part. It’s been a wild ride and it’s probably only going to get weirder!

Wish me luck!