Jim Crist-Harif

About

I'm Jim. Born and raised in Minneapolis, MN, currently working for Voltron Data in Austin, TX.

Background

I used to be a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. My research was in the domain of system dynamics and controls, focused on system identification and state estimation for electro-mechanical systems. I was drawn to this field due to its inherent multidisciplinary nature — knowledge of mechanics, electronics, and software are all required. My final project was in the application of novel estimator designs to reduce the hardware requirements for actuators. Sometimes you don't need more or better sensors, just a fancier algorithm.

Projects

Projects I currently work on, or have spent a significant time on in the past include:

Other Interests

I spend my free time on my hobbies. I started rock climbing around 10 years ago, and that has easily become the most addicting thing in my life. I also dabble in woodworking, crocheting, gardening, baking, and homebrewing.