# Michael Koval

Location: San Leandro, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/michaelkoval

I am currently a tech lead on the Planner and Evaluation teams at Waymo, where set the technical direction for the software that drives the car and how we evaluate it. This is a challenging research, engineering, and data science problem that requires both deep technical expertise and collaboration across teams consisting of hundreds of software engineers, machine learning researchers, data scientists, program mangers, and product managers.

Prior to joining Waymo, I was an early stage employee (number 14) and a Director of Engineering at Berkshire Grey. I built some of the company's core robotic picking and orchestration technology that is used across all of its product lines. I also co-founded an omni-channel fulfillment solution that used hundreds of mobile robots to transport goods between dozens of automated stations.

My academic background is in robotic manipulation, motion planning, and probabilistic reasoning. I am also deeply familiar with machine learning, data science, and simulation as a result of my studies.

## Education
### Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Robotics
Carnegie Mellon University
Jan 2012 – Jan 2016

### B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science
Rutgers University
Jan 2008 – Jan 2012


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mkoval
- Website: https://michael.koval.fyi

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Source: https://flows.cv/michaelkoval
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/michaelkoval/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-05