Derek Phillips is the Head of Perception Engineering at Kodiak and leads a team dedicated to advancing the perception capabilities of the Kodiak Driver. Derek works closely with the AI team to convert raw sensor data into machine and human interpretable representations of the environment to enable safe and reliable autonomy. His notable accomplishments include the creation of Kodiak’s Perception Evaluation Engine to allow for seamless and efficient testing of new perception models and algorithms, as well as the deployment of numerous mission-critical perception components. Derek holds both a Masters and BSc in Computer Science from Stanford, where he specialized in AI. He researched generative adversarial imitation learning for modeling human driver behavior. Beyond his technical interests, Derek is committed to fostering inclusivity in tech, including in his current role as co-director of the local chapter of Black in Robotics.

The Pop in Your Job – What drives you? Why do you love your job?
For me, it's about improving people's lives. I want to help however I can to ensure people can focus on what matters to them, and automate the dangerous or tedious jobs. I want to leave the world better than it is through the application of intelligent robotics.