Thomas Dillig

I am an engineer. I use technology to help nature and create healthy and resilient living spaces shared by humans and wildlife.

I am originally from Bavaria, Germany and grew up in the Starnberg region south of Munich.

I first came to the United States as an exchange student in high school. I spent a year living with American families in rural Nebraska, where I learned to use farm equipment and shoot with firearms.

I returned to the US for college to study computer science and earned a BS/MS and PhD at Stanford.

After my PhD, I held faculty positions at College of William & Mary, University College London, and University of Texas at Austin. In my academic career, I co-authored more than 20 peer-reviewed research articles pioneering new methods in program verification and constraint solving. For my research, I received multi-million award grants from public organizations, including the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

I discovered Texas when I was hired as faculty at UT Austin. Soon afterwards, I fell in love with the Texas Hill Country.

I have been passionate about technology and engineering since I was little. I started to work in academia and later founded with my wife a boutique technology consulting firm for businesses. While I enjoyed developing new technologies and leading teams, I realized that my greatest passion lies in applying technology to live better and closer to nature at home. Therefore, I decided to change my career and follow my passions.

I believe that intelligent management requires a strong command of facts, both at the big-picture and detailed levels. I relish switching between hands-on development work and strategic thinking. I am passionate about getting results by putting the right people on the team and empowering them to take responsibility and initiative, in order to bring out the best in them.

I have also applied my skills to residential construction. I am an electrician. I have designed and built smart lighting controls, home automation solutions, home media solutions, irrigation systems, swimming pool controls, outdoor living spaces, and HVAC systems for private homes in the US, Germany, and tropical islands (Mauritius, Réunion).