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Austin Russell
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SPIE Member Austin Russell of Luminar Technologies, Inc. is among those named to the 2018 cohort of the Forbes 30 Under 30. Started in 2010, Forbes selects 600 ambitious, disruptive and innovative rising stars in 20 different industries out of thousands of nominations. Each honoree has already made impressive impact in their chosen profession, all before the age of 30.
Russell made the 2018 Manufacturing and Industry list of 30, a group recognized for creating the products, methods and materials of tomorrow. At only 22, Russell is honored for his part in the race to build the first self-driving car. He has developed an advanced LiDAR sensor that helps autonomous vehicles see and understand the world around them. It is a new type of LiDAR for the autonomous vehicle industry, using longer-wavelength light than other sensors, allowing it to spot dark objects twice as far out.
Now, a regular exhibitor at SPIE Events, Russell dropped out of Stanford in return for a $100,000 Theil Fellowship, a program started by venture capitalist Peter Thiel to encourage entrepreneurship. He subsequently started Luminar with SPIE Fellow Jason Eichenholz, a serial entrepreneur, and pioneer in laser, optics and photonics product development and commercialization.
More information:
- See Russell’s 30 Under 30 profile from Forbes
