MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
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Preston L. Tran
CEO, Co-Founder
Since the project’s inception in January of 2018, Preston has overseen the development of the robotic semi-autonomous plant growing system that was the Capstone project Box Farm. His academic excellence, robotics expertise, and leadership experience at University of Hawai'i Engaged STEM Pathways granted him the unique opportunity to intern at NASA Ames. There he met Dr. Pablo de Leon, a NASA Principal Investigator and Chair of Argentina's Congress of Space Technologies, and noticed the deficiencies facing Martian missions from a life support standpoint. Preston recognized the opportunity for technological innovation, and the idea of Box Farm sprouted. Since then, Preston has taken point in transitioning from a student project to a company whose vision is to revolutionize the agricultural technologies industry in Hawai'i as well as system level management.
Gabor Paczolay
CTO, Co-Founder
Having studied automotive design at Istituto Europeo di Design in Turin, Italy, Gabi applies user-centric principles into the design language of Box Farm Labs. Utilizing his artistic skill set with his technical background from the University of Hawaii Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gabi oversees every aspect of the brand image to ensure aesthetic and functional cohesiveness of every project. Guided by his background in a multitude of design principles including fashion, graphic, and hardware design, Gabi ensures the development of beautiful products without compromising performance at every level. The influence of his understanding of aesthetic appeal on product design will improve the ubiquitous collaboration between man and machine.
ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Trevor Sorensen
Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory Project Manager, NASA Clementine Mission Manager
Dr. Trevor Sorensen brings expertise in successful grant writing, a vast technical background in aerospace and wealth of experience in Project Management. Having served as Lunar Mission Manager for the DoD/NASA Clementine lunar mission, Dr. Sorensen also authored three hit computer games, Star Fleet I, Star Fleet II, and Star Legions and served as CEO of the publishing company Interstell Corporation. He is on the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Board of Directors as the Director of the Space and Missiles Group, which consists of 13 technical committees.
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Dr. Pablo de Leon
University of North Dakota,
ILMH Principal Investigator; Kennedy Space Center
Dr. Pablo de Leon is an expert on the human element in aeronautics, having served as the Principal Investigator of multiple NASA funded project relating to Space Suit development, Extra Vehicular Activities and the Inflatable Lunar/Martian Habitat. His vast experience, spanning over two decades as an aerospace engineer, is derived from previously serving as a Space Shuttle payload manager, participating in over 50 published technical papers and is one of the original competitors in the Ansari X Prize.
Hawaii Small Business Development Center
Hawaii Small Business Development Center Network, established in 1990, is the only state-wide business assistance organization in Hawaii. Their confidential business advisory services are provided to clients at no charge.
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