About Instructables

Eric J. Wilhelm, Ph.D., Co-founding partner of Squid Labs, CEO of Instructables
Eric earned his SB, SM, and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT, where he developed methods to print electronics and micro-electromechanical systems using nanoparticles. Eric co-founded Squid Labs in order to have impact through early-stage innovation. He spun Instructables out of Squid Labs as an independent company, which he now runs with a passion. He loves building kite-powered contraptions, cooking breakfast, and demystifying technology so that even his Grandmother can use it.

Christy Canida, Community and Marketing Director
Christy earned her SB in Biology from MIT, and worked in transgenic mouse labs, an aquarium, and the biotech industry before joining Instructables. She loves cutting things up, experimenting with food, and dancing in costumes.

Lee Horwitz, VP, Ad Sales
The world of advertising captivated me when I saw ad for coco puffs cereal while watching saturday morning cartoons. Thirty years later, much to my wife's dismay, I'm still eating coco-puffs for breakfast.

Ed Lewis, Content Manager
Ed loves stencils and crisp, sharp design.

Rachel McConnell, Senior Software Developer
Rachel previously built web-based carsharing tools with EngineGreen and VoiceXML applications with Indigo Egg. She is a cofounder of Noisebridge, a San Francisco hackspace. She wears funny hats and t-shirts, eats suspicious food, and doesn't sleep.

Cloude Porteus, VP, Product Development
Cloude previously built products for Swell / Surfline and managed products and consulting services for Busybox Productions. He loves giving his favorite Instructable to friends and co-workers.

Randy Sarafan, Community Manager
Randy is a recent Fellow at Eye Beam, where he developed tools and tactics for the coming cultural revolution. He's also eating lots of pizza and maintaining geek street cred.

Noah Weinstein, Head of Production
Noah earned his BS in Environmental Studies from Brown, where he built talking trees. Since then he has worked as a custom speaker builder and a white water rafting guide. He now keeps Instructables clean and well fed, and in top kissing form.

Sarah James, Community and Marketing Associate
Sarah James earned her MFA in Design and Technology for the Theatre from UT-Austin where her favorite class was maskmaking. Her lifelong dream has been to make cool stuff. She just can't believe her luck.

Matt Dalton
The robot is asleep.

Lisa Gansky, Advisor
Co-founder of Ofoto and GNN, advisor to Instructables. Lisa is a successful entrepreneur who aims to make the planet a better place.

Duncan Haberly, Advisor
Duncan was the first VP of Business Development, Sales & Legal at Military.com, Jumpstart Technologies, and Tagged.com; he is now a dedicated advisor to Instructables. Duncan loves vintage lugged-steel bicycles, making electronic music, and playing the banjo badly. He is also the author of Negotiating Your Salary & Perks.

Mark P. Jacobsen, Board Member
Mark is a managing director of O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, which is in the business of funding disruptors, innovators and hackers of the status quo. Prior to founding OATV, Mark led O'Reilly Media's business development and conferences divisions.

Tim Anderson
Tim showed up at MIT begging for old robots he could teach to paint. Before long he had built the first starch-based 3D printing system, and co-founded Z-Corp to commercialize the technology. His current goal is to document and record the world's ancient and traditional methods - known as heirloom technologies. Tim loves simple living using stuff he finds for free, innertubes, and a boat for each day of the week.

Matt Borgatti, Instructables Intern 2007
Matt is a graduate of RISD who likes inventing and mechanical design. He recently worked in the special effects industry (he had a hand in Snakes on a Plane and Alien vs Predator 2) and has his own IMDB page. He makes guitars (homemade Guitar Hero controller Instructable is coming soon) and etches brass.

Will Bosworth, Howtoons intern (Summer 2006)
Will is a mechanical engineering major at MIT. He spent the summer developing beta Howtoons.

Erich Brandeau, Howtoons intern (Summers 2006, 2007)
Erich, a Nebraska native, spent the summer developing beta Howtoons.

Patrick Buckley
Patrick earned his SB and SM degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He runs grueling triathlons and experiments and writes about food.

Colin Bulthaup, Co-founding partner of Squid Labs, co-founder of Kovio, CEO of Potenco
Colin earned his SB and MNG in Electrical Engineering from MIT. He did his Masters work at the MIT Media Lab developing processes and materials to print transistors and later founded Kovio to commercialize this technology. He loves taking pictures, making laser-cut gifts, and good food.

Leslie Chicoine
Leslie is an interaction designer at Ruby Red Labs who loves to take pictures.

Leah Culver
Leah loves taking the hard edges of technology and making them soft. She spends her time coding and developing the web system for Pownce.

Jeff Fassnacht
Jeff runs Jeff Fassnacht Design, designed the Instructables hand logo, and is responsible for much of the original look and feel of the site.

Josh Freedman, Instructables Intern (Summer 2008)
Josh is majoring in [to be determined sometime in the next year or so] at Stanford. He likes non-potent potables, creative writing, and impersonating robots.

Bilal Ghalib, Instructables Intern (Summer 2008)
Bilal makes things because it's much like giving birth - without the pain. He runs a small business in Michigan: modati.com, and studies computer science in his free time. He will be your friend if you ask.

Dan Goldwater, Co-founding partner of Squid Labs
Dan did his master's work at Brown, designed chips for Intel, and then built electronics at the MIT Media Lab. Dan loves getting lost on his bike, blinking lights, and travel.

Billy Gordon, Instructables Intern (Summer 2008)
Billy is an electrical engineering major at Brooklyn Poly. He likes fire, computers, explosions, electronics, and fire.

Saul Griffith, Ph.D., Co-founding partner of Squid Labs
Saul earned his SM and PhD from MIT working on self-assembly where he built electromechanical and mechanical self assembling devices. He loves cars without computers, designing kites, and a different bicycle for each day of the week. Saul was named a 2007 MacArthur Fellow.

Corwin Hardham, Ph.D., Squid Labs partner
After designing snowboards and almost becoming a professional windsurfer, Corwin earned his PhD from Stanford developing vibration isolation control systems and actuators for the LIGO project. Corwin loves nearly impossible mechanical design challenges and riding his bike to the beach to find big surf and strong wind.

Mitch Heinrich
Mitch is a Designer, hacker and artist who joined Squid Labs as their first intern in 2006. Lending a hand wherever needed, Mitch has since been an employee of nearly all of the Squid Labs companies including Instructables, Potenco, OptiOpia and Makani Power. His current interests include smart geometry, bicycles and cocktail robotics.

Jesse Hensel, Squid Labs intern (Summer 2006, 2007)
Jesse uses wood for practical as well as artistic creations.

Geo Homsy, Ph.D., Squid Labs partner
Geo earned his SM and PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, working on biological computing. He co-founded Permabit, and has appeared multiple times on Scrapheap Challenge (Junkyard Wars) as a member of the 2000 Finalist team, the NERDS. Geo loves robots that drop your jaw and making physics and all things mechanical accessible.

Robin Ivester, Instructables Intern (Summer 2008)
Robin earned her SB in Materials Science from MIT. She loves roadtrips, big swirly skirts, and her horse Fence.

Paul Jehlen, Instructables Intern (Summer 2007)
Paul is a mechanical engineering major at the University of Central Florida. He builds indoor gardens, fine beverages, and tasteful decor.

Kenny Jensen
Kenny earned his SB in Physics from MIT, and is now a Ph.D. candidate in physics at UC Berkeley. Kenny loves taking and creating images.

Emily Leslie
Emily earned her BS and MS from Stanford, and is now Engineer/Designer at HDR. Emily did her master's work on Stirling cycle engines at Stanford and has a deep understanding of energy flows.

Ryan McKinley, Squid Labs partner
Ryan earned his SM degree in Media Arts & Science from MIT, working at the MIT Media Lab building open tools to monitor governments. He developed the initial Instructables platform, building upon his experience with The Center for Land Use Interpretation and other mapping systems. Ryan loves independent radio, kittens, and living on the fly.

Eric Nguyen, Instructables UI Engineer (2007-2009)
Eric earned his BS in Computer Science at Harvard and has been building UI toolkits for the web ever since. Eric loves community-building, loud music, and industrial design.

Arwen O'Reilly
Arwen earned her BS at Harvard University, and now edits Make magazine and Craft magazine. She loves fresh berries, lazy Sunday mornings, and having her own garden, wherever she can get it.

Nick Papadakis
With a few hours and an instruction manual, Nick can make any machine work. Previously, he was a research scientist at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab.

Jessie Phillips, Instructables Intern (Summer 2007)
Jessie Phillips is a graduate student in the designed objects program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She loves sharp x-acto knives. And puppies. But not together.

Bradley Powers, Instructables Intern (Summer 2008)
Brad is an Engineering Major at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and is designing his own curriculum in robotics. He likes robots, helicopters, robot helicopters, sushi, and MINIs. Brad also enjoys making things out of metal. Especially robots.

Taylor Stein
Expert sailor and people connector.