It was circa 2005. The only sounds in the lab that morning were the gentle drip of the coffee machine and the hum of hardware waiting to power up another experimental simulation.

A friend and co-researcher popped in and asked, “Why do you still come in so early just to make coffee for the pilots? You know you don’t have to do that.”

I smiled.

Because research gold doesn’t always come from the control room. It comes from conversation. From connection. From listening deeply before we ask our first official question. I’ve carried this philosophy into every project since, from national airspace modernization to enterprise AI. I believe technology only becomes powerful when it reflects the people who use it. That means leading with curiosity, not just code. And creating space for trust, not just output.

When we put the human first, when we design for how people think, feel, and decide, we don’t just build better tools. We build technology that makes us feel our best.

That’s what I do.