Nick Ellis got his start in robotics with MATE’s 20-meter deep pools—and now, he’s working at ocean depths of 6,500 meters with the Alvin Group at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
His first introduction to MATE was through the Jesuit High School robotics team. They competed in the explorer-class ROV competition each year, culminating in a 2014 World Championship win. He served as the team’s mechanical engineer.
“That was my first introduction into what engineering really was and how it could be used to make a difference in the world,” Nick said.
Nick remembers the days of competing with fondness. He loved meeting new people and traveling to new places, but it’s the fellowship that had a lasting impact. The friends he made through MATE are people he still talks to every week. MATE also shaped Nick’s professional life. Through it, he found his passion, and after graduating high school, he attended Santa Clara University to study mechanical engineering.
The summer after his freshman year, he found an internship opportunity through MATE at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He gained his first at-sea experience working in the industry with WHOI, and in the summer of 2020, he returned to do engineering design work and help with the submersible’s overhaul.
When he graduated in 2021, he began a full-time job as a mechanical engineer for the Alvin Group. Right now, he and his team are preparing the submersible for its 6,500 meter certification cruise. Nick says he’s enjoying all the hands-on work he does and is learning every day—and that he still uses the skills MATE taught him.
“MATE showed me what was important,” Nick said.
