About
Hey there! Thanks for visiting my website. My name is Evan Pezent, and I’m a Research Scientist at Meta Reality Labs Research. I hold a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Rice University where I studied robotics and haptics in Marcie O’Malley’s Mechatronics and Haptic Interfaces (MAHI) Lab. I hope you find my work and the content of this website interesting. If you want to know a little more about me, continue reading or feel free to email me!
Bio
I am an Alabama native and grew up on the Gulf Coast in Spanish Fort, AL. In 2010 I entered the Mechanical Engineering program at The University of Alabama. While studying at the Capstone, I worked as an undergraduate researcher in two labs. In the Precision Manufacturing Research Facility, I developed software to analyze manufacturing processes such as metallic 3D printing and diamond coated cutting. Later, I joined the Jordon Group where I had the opportunity to characterize the failure modes of the US Army’s portable airfield matting system, which ultimately allowed me to design and present a new matting concept to engineers and researchers at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center.
As an undergraduate, I also interned with several industrial companies including Hargrove EPC** and BASF. However, it was at Phifer Inc. that I received my first real taste of mechanical engineering design, completing over 40 projects involving mechanism design and automation.
I have several memorable experiences from Alabama, notably two (or was it three?) National Football Championships, but most importantly meeting my beautiful wife, Krystin. We became engaged in May of 2015, and married the following year in July.
In August 2015, I joined Marcie O’Malley’s Mechatronics and Haptic Interfaces Lab at Rice University. During my first year here, I worked on the design of the OpenWrist exoskeleton and subsequently used the device to perform research in the fields of rehabilitation robotics and haptics. I earned Master’s degree in 2017.
I spent six months at Meta Reality Labs Research (then Facebook Reality Labs) during the summer of 2018. While I was there, I designed a haptic bracelet for virtual reality called Tasbi, that essentially tricks your brain into feeling objects that don’t really exist! I continued the project at Rice University during my Ph.D. studies and graduated in February 2021.
I joined Meta Reality Labs Research as a Research Scientist in haptic displays in March 2021. I have the privilege of working with some really smart folks on the most advanced haptic hardware and software in the world and the future of wearables in the metaverse.
