Curriculum Vitae

Philipp Michel

AI & ML · Autonomy · Robotics · Product & Strategy · Derivatives Trading

linkedinLinkedingooglescholarGoogle ScholargithubGitHub
Experience
MotionalSVP of Autonomy & AI
2026–presentSeattle, WA
Cruise / GM
2023–2026Seattle, WA
Distinguished Engineer (General Motors)2025–2026
  • Defined technical vision and direction across Embodied AI
Principal ML/AI Engineer · Principal Applied Scientist2024–2025
  • Led technical strategy, roadmap, and delivery across Simulation, Data, and Testing
Technical Advisor to the CTO / SVP of AI2023–2024
  • Shaped AI & ML technical strategy and identified key investment areas
Amazon
2019–2023Seattle, WA
Head of Perception & Planning2020–2023
  • Led autonomy science/engineering teams across perception and planning
  • Scaled autonomous delivery to tens of thousands of packages across four US states
Principal Product Manager – Technical2019–2020
  • Amazon Scout — Amazon's robotic last-mile delivery solution
  • Managed autonomy technology roadmap & execution
  • Led autonomy product/program management teams
The University of TokyoProject Assistant Professor
2018–2024Tokyo, Japan
  • Appointed to Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Research Center
  • Jointly appointed to Department of Mechano-Informatics
  • Artificial intelligence and robotics research and advisory
The Partnership on AICommittee Member
2018–2019San Francisco, CA
  • Representing The University of Tokyo
  • Member of the committees on Safety-Critical AI and on Collaborations between People and AI Systems
Toyota Motor CorporationGlobal AI Strategy Advisor
2017–2019Worldwide
  • Strategic / technical advisor to TMC's global artificial intelligence initiatives
  • Coordinated investment and research / commercial partnerships
  • Technical leadership for TMC's AI efforts in Japan
Toyota Research InstituteSenior Manager, Machine Intelligence
2016–2017Palo Alto, CA
  • Devised and executed TRI's machine learning strategy
  • Built world-class ML team from scratch
  • Led ML algorithms, infrastructure, model/data management and on-platform deployment efforts
  • Focused on perception for autonomous vehicles and robotics
  • Led business development, investment evaluation, and research partnerships
Google, Inc. / Alphabet, Inc.Senior Roboticist / Software Engineer
2015–2016Mountain View, CA
  • Advanced perception / computer vision deployed on multiple confidential robotic platforms
  • Object detection & real-time tracking (monocular and depth-based) for manipulation and navigation (wheeled and legged)
  • High frame-rate localization / pose estimation
Goldman Sachs Japan, Co. Ltd.Vice President, Equity Derivatives Trading
2008–2015Tokyo, Japan
  • Head, Asia Quantitative Volatility Trading. Low latency, high Sharpe ratio algorithmic options trading in Japan, Korea, and India (2013–2014)
  • Traded the firm's index derivatives book in Japan (Nikkei, TOPIX, etc.). Consistently high yearly P&L (2008–2013)
  • Specialized in pricing / hedging / market making volatility and delta-one products including options, light exotics, var/vol swaps, div swaps, forwards, rolls, etc.
  • Actively traded cross-country positions in S&P, Euro Stoxx and Asian underlying assets
  • Trading lead for several automation projects in pricing, market making, systematic trading / hedging
UBSSummer Associate, Equities Trading
2007Stamford, CT / New York, NY
  • Rotations: Quantitative strategies. Electronic volatility trading. Derivatives trading.
  • Offer for permanent employment
Wolfram Research InternationalDeveloper, Special Projects Office
2004Waltham, MA
  • Wrote and optimized computer vision / image processing algorithms for Mathematica
Goldman Sachs InternationalSummer Analyst
2002London, UK
  • Redesigned the equity trading Unix front-end for all European offices
  • Offer for permanent employment
Education
Carnegie Mellon UniversityPh.D. & M.S. Robotics
2004–2008Pittsburgh, PA
  • Summa cum laude (GPA: 4.00)
  • Robotics Institute, School of Computer Science
  • Research: Humanoid Robotics, Computer Vision
  • 15+ peer-reviewed publications — full list on Google Scholar
Yale UniversityPostgraduate Fellow (Robotics)
2003–2004New Haven, CT
Cambridge UniversityM.A. & B.A. (Hons), Computer Science
2000–2003Cambridge, UK
  • Triple First Class Honours (summa cum laude)
Academic
AIST Digital Human Research CenterVisiting Researcher, Humanoid Robotics
2005–2008Tokyo, Japan
  • Postdoctoral Fellow (2008), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
  • Summer Fellow (2005), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Honors
  • Nvidia Fellowship (2006–2007)
  • Triple Scholar of Churchill College Cambridge for outstanding academic performance
  • Fellow of Cambridge University European Trust
  • Scholar of the German National Merit Foundation (top 0.2% of students)
  • Cambridge University prize for outstanding undergraduate dissertation
Languages
  • German (native)
  • English (native-level)
  • Spanish (native-level)
  • Japanese (intermediate)
  • Greek (conversational)
Athletics
  • CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
  • Competitive rowing & water polo at Cambridge University
  • Nationally competitive high school swimming in Costa Rica