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Democratize Aquatic Data Collection
Providing the ultimate customer experience, with simplicity at the core of everything we do by creating safe, easy-to-use aquatic drones and data solutions that keep operators out of harm’s way.
Treating others how they would like to be treated. Believing there is best intent in every action. Disagreeing but don’t being disagreeable. Leaving the planet a better place than you found it.
Being honest and fair in all we do. Being accountable and holding others to account. See something unethical, say something. Knowing when to ask for help.
Being customer experience led. Fostering collaboration. Delivering what you said you would. Communicating often and accurately. Delivering affordable value add products and services.
Embracing failure and learning from it. Recognizing no idea is a bad idea. Welcoming the experiences and value people bring from different walks of life, cultures, and genders.
Creating intuitive, easy to use products and services. Making life at work as simple as possible for our team and partners.
As a Jaia Robotics co-founder Ian brings a unique mix of business leadership, program management, engineering, operations and capture skills. Ian has worked in the defense, technology, and commercial sectors, with a strong emphasis on Blue Tech. Jaia Robotics was born out of a passion for protecting our environment and finding ways to affordably collect the data that helps us better understand our impact on it.
The work Ian did at Aquabotix provided invaluable insight into the potential of using micro sized autonomous marine vehicles to collect data at a very low cost. This experience – understanding customer needs and market knowledge – underpins the decision to co-found Jaia Robotics and develop the JaiaBot synoptic data collection system.
Ian spent four years at Sonos Inc., partnering with industry behemoths including IKEA, Amazon, and Apple to successfully develop amazing products and launch them into market – always with a laser focus on customer experience. Prior to Sonos, Ian led the Program Management Team at Bluefin Robotics, successfully developing large and medium size autonomous underwater vehicles for customers around the globe. Big business experience was gained at Raytheon where Ian led the Naval Business for the UK operation before transferring to the US, where he worked with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the NSF funded Ocean Observatory Initiative, as well as doing a rotation as a faculty member in the Raytheon Program Management College providing international business insight.
Ian grew up in a coastal town in southern Wales, UK, where he developed that strong connection with the ocean that led to the first twelve years of his professional life in the UK Royal Navy. Out of work, Ian enjoys surfing, snowboarding, trying to keep fit and losing golf balls. Ian has been on the board of directors, serving as treasurer for Clean Ocean Access, an environmental organization he helped attain 501c3 status for in 2014. Married to Michelle since 2007, his home is now in Southern Rhode Island with two grown up sons living in the US and UK.
Mr. Jason Webster, CTO & Co-Founder Jaia Robotics, BS Electrical Engineering (Brown University)
Jason has ten + years of underwater unmanned system engineering experience with Aquabotix and Jaia Robotics dealing with all aspects of the design, integration, test and manufacturing process. This includes work on underwater camera systems, ROVs and the swarming SwarmDiver micro UUV.
Jason is the coinventor and design authority for the JaiaBot System. Jason’s core strengths in system engineering, firmware and electrical engineering are complemented by strong project management skills. Jason takes pride in his work, stands by his ethics, and is an extraordinarily quick learner. Synergistic activities include serving as a volunteer judge for MATE underwater robotics competitions and hosting high school students to teach them about engineering, manufacturing, and business operations. In 2023 Jason presented at the United Nations World Ocean Week – “Advanced Technology at an Affordable Cost – Making Ocean Observing More Accessible” to dignitaries worldwide regarding how low-cost data collection can be employed to make critical decisions in under-funded areas. Jason is passionate about the user experience and making tools that genuinely make life easier.
His long-term goal is an industry recognized payload interface – think USB underwater. Jason currently resides with his better half, Carla, in Wareham, MA which despite all the signage to the contrary, is not Cape Cod.
Joshua launched his professional career in 2023, transitioning from a distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps due to medical retirement. During his tenure in the Marines, he played a pivotal role in the testing and deployment of innovative unmanned technologies, both aerial and subaquatic.
His career progressed to leading roles in the corporate sector, most notably as the Director of Field Operations & Sensor Integration, overseeing the successful implementation of unmanned sensor software in field environments. Joshua’s qualifications include a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and certification as a Project Management Professional, demonstrating his commitment to excellence in process improvement and project management.
Joshua combines his unyielding work ethic, adaptability, and extensive cross-functional business experience to drive the growth and success of his employers. His professional motivation is deeply rooted in a commitment to an organization’s mission, characterized by his high loyalty and strong moral compass. These traits not only define his personal values but also significantly shape his work approach and leadership style, making him an asset in any corporate setting.
Sean is Jaia Robotics’ first employee and he joins the team as our Technical Project Manager. Sean comes from an extensive background in marine electronics within the Grand Prix yachting industry. While being a sailor himself he was fortunate to transition his passion for the sport to a career working with the top sailing and racing programs in the world. With a career that spans nearly thirty years he has been part of multiple world championship programs, four Volvo Ocean Race syndicates, three America’s Cup syndicates as well as multiple open ocean world speed and distance records. During that time, the demand on electronic, electrical and systems designs, integration and support have reached an all-time high. Sean is regarded as one of the top individuals in the marine systems integration and electrical systems commissioning systems field. The need to meet immovable deadlines and be able to work in an extremely high pressure environment, clearly communicating and working with the multiple teams needed to bring a high performance racing yacht to race ready condition, makes Sean an outstanding all-rounder. Sean brings to Jaia Robotics an extensive background in high-profile, high-pressure work environments in which self direction and crisp decision making will benefit all aspects of the business.
Deedee leads operations and marketing for Jaia, identifying use cases within academic, defense, environmental, and emerging markets. Turning prospects into delighted customers energizes her. Previously, Deedee worked to create The University of Rhode Island’s innovation ecosystem through entrepreneurial and research programs such as URI Launch Lab, URI Research Foundation commercialization, Rhode Island’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Polaris MEP), and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Prior to URI, Deedee spent 20 years focused on marketing strategy, operations, sales, and business development while growing startups in the software, energy, and data analytics industries. She earned her MBA from Northeastern University and biochemistry and psychology degrees from the University of New Hampshire. A true Rhode Island native, Deedee was born in East Providence just as her Dad returned from years at sea to become the business force behind the Northeast Marine Pilots Association.
Growing up sailing on rivers, lakes and Narragansett Bay, she developed a passion for the ocean and the delicate balance required to keep the environment healthy. She’s volunteered as a water quality citizen scientist for 18 years (which has also been a convenient reason to get out in her kayak early mornings to collect water samples), and she’s passionate about this opportunity to bring affordable aquatic data to the world using the JaiaBot platform.
Growing up on the Texas coast, Michael grew to love everything about the ocean which led him to pursue a degree in Ocean Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. Michael’s undergraduate focus on robotics, physics, ocean instrumentation, acoustics, and data modeling as well as three years working with the Navy developing autonomous behaviors for cross-domain platforms employment and five years working within URI’s Robotics Laboratory for Complex Underwater Environments allowed him the background to be selected as JAIA Robotics second employee. He graduated at the top of his class for both his Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Ocean Engineering. To complete his Master’s degree from University of Rhode Island, Michael defended his thesis – The Quantification and Redesign of a Granular Jamming Gripper with Internal Printed Hydraulics. Michael brings to Jaia Robotics a highly analytical approach to solving complex problems, expertise in SolidWorks, and strong project management skills to allow the timely achievement of goals. Michael stays close to the water enjoying fishing, boating, sailing, scuba diving around the world, as well as taking on a challenging tennis match.
Matt is the VP of Software Engineering at Jaia Robotics. He’s a versatile full stack developer who quickly and can quickly adapts to new technologies. He effectively manages an agile development team as the Scrum Master to enhance Jaia systems through iterative improvements. Prior to Jaia Robotics, he was a Computer Scientist at The Navy Undersea Warfare Center for seven years. As an experienced software engineer and operator in the unmanned undersea vehicle space, Matt is passionate about the user experience and strives for ease of use when designing a user interface.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a master’s degree in Software Engineering from Brandeis University.
In his spare time, he likes to ski. Skiing is something he has picked up with his wife, Jessica, and now they cannot wait for the winter. He also likes to play ping pong with friends and family. Occasionally, he’ll go for a run to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Matt also finds pleasure in traveling, exploring new restaurants, and cherishing quality time with Jessica and their English Bulldog, Frank.
Bio Coming Soon
Michael, as a Jaia Software Engineer, is focused on developing Jaia Command & Control to bring a clean interface and intuitive user experience to JaiaBot operators. After a summer-long internship, Michael transitioned into a full-time role as Software Developer in 2023. He quickly realized working for a company that needs to test its code on the water is a perfect match for someone who loves being outside. He enjoys the fast-paced environment and rapid product improvement that comes with working for a growing startup. Michael earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Babson College.
Bio Coming Soon
Nick is a passionate and driven individual coming from the Southern Rhode Island area. Growing up on the beaches and waters of Rhode Island, he developed a love for the ocean and a keen interest in utilizing new technologies to explore the marine world at a deeper level. Nick earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Rhode Island, where he focused his studies on both software and mechanical engineering principles. Eager to apply this knowledge in a real-world environment, he began as a Software Development intern at Jaia Robotics in January, 2024, and a full time employee in September 2024. He enjoys the fast-paced environment and loves working with a development team that also gets to test their changes on the water.
Nick loves the creativity that comes with front-end development, and hopes to hone his skills in this paradigm, while also building his knowledge in the world of back-end development; he’s found that working with the Jaia team and Jaia Command & Control platform caters very nicely to both of these areas. His goal with Jaia is to further develop the end user experience through intuitive, easy-to-use, and reliable software development.
In his free time, Nick enjoys snowboarding and exploring new environments outdoors. He also played for and was the president of the URI lacrosse team until 2023, and helps out his local community by coaching middle school lacrosse teams each Spring.
