My name is Jesse Austin-Breneman and I'm a fourth year graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT. I am currently studying under Professor Maria Yang as part of the MIT Ideation Lab. Our group researches structured design methods with a focus on early-stage design strategies.

My personal research focus is on design process in an international development context. I also study collaboration tools and human factors in multi-disciplinary large-scale design tasks. My goal is to become a university professor teaching design courses with a development perspective.

Outside of the lab, I'm usually playing with my 1-yr old, cooking with my cast-iron skillet or working on some design project. I am also a Graduate Resident Tutor at Senior House and can be found tire-swinging and grilling in the courtyard.