Summary
Zakary Littlefield is a Software Engineer II based in Pittsburgh with a decade of experience applying algorithmic research to real-world robotics and autonomy problems. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rutgers and has translated academic motion-planning advances into production-focused systems through roles at Aurora and Uber. His work emphasizes practical, testable motion-planning methods and critical evaluations of existing approaches to make them more deployable in autonomous vehicles. Zakary blends deep theoretical grounding from NASA-funded research with hands-on engineering at scale, bridging the gap between research prototypes and operational autonomy stacks. Colleagues rely on him for rigorously designed algorithms that account for real-world constraints and for pushing research toward usable, safety-conscious implementations. He is known for bringing research curiosity into product engineering, improving both robustness and practicality in motion planning.
10 years of coding experience
8 years of employment as a software developer
Bachelor's Degree, Computer Science, Bachelor's Degree, Computer Science at University of Nevada, Reno
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Computer Science, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Computer Science at Rutgers University