Michael Gourlay

About Michael Gourlay

Dr. Michael J. Gourlay works as a software architect in the Wearables division (Augmented Reality glasses, Smart glasses and others) at Meta.He previously worked in the Microsoft Mixed Reality group (formerly Cognition, Analog) on augmented reality and virtual reality platforms and services such as Microsoft Mesh, HoloLens, Windows Holographic and Windows Mixed Reality.He previously worked as the general manager of AltspaceVR.Before that, he led teams in the Environment Understanding group of Analog R&D, including the teams that created inside-out tracking, surface reconstruction (a.k.a.\"Spatial Mapping\") and computer vision-based calibration of environment and human sensors.He previously worked at Electronic Arts (EA Sports) as the Software Architect for the Football Sports Business Unit, as a senior lead engineer on Madden NFL, on character physics and the procedural animation system used by EA, on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and as a lead programmer on NASCAR. He wrote the visual effects system used in EA games worldwide and patented algorithms for interactive, high-bandwidth online applications. He architected FranTk, the game engine behind Connected Career and Connected Franchise.He developed curricula for and taught at Northeastern University and the University of Central Florida (UCF) Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), an interdisciplinary graduate program that teaches programmers, producers and artists how to make video games and training simulations.He was a Subject Matter Expert for Studio B Productions, and wrote articles and code for Intel on parallelized computational fluid dynamics simulations for games and movies.Prior to joining EA, he performed scientific research using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the world\'s largest massively parallel supercomputers. His research also included nonlinear dynamics in quantum mechanical systems, and atomic, molecular and optical physics, stealth, RADAR, and massively parallel supercomputer design.Michael received degrees in physics, philosophy & public policy from Georgia Tech and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Experience

1. Software Engineer

   Meta

   Nov 2022 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Software Single-Threaded Leader (STL) for AR Glasses (previously announced as Project Nazare and following Orion) on Augmented Reality in the Wearables organization.Coordinate software development across all pillars (Systems, XR Tech, Interfaces, and Experiences) for augmented reality glasses.Accountable for coordinating and evangelizing the design of the distributed compute model for new augmented reality platforms, that use exotic custom silicon with extremely constrained power budgets. Activity includes proposing, reviewing and ratifying developer frameworks that interoperate with distributed computing systems, to empower a broad class of developer personas to build experiences in augmented and mixed reality.Accountable for helping to converge compute and programming models across a range of device platforms with a variety of compute constellations.Consult with cross-functional groups, including design and hardware, in user experiences to accommodate new interaction paradigms suitable for scenarios ranging from on-the-go to stationary tasks.Technical advisor to executives & development directors, accountable for crafting, reviewing, communicating, and ratifying technical strategy of wearable products and services.

Education

• Georgia Institute of Technology

  B.S., Physics

  1988 — 1993

• University of Colorado Boulder

  M.S., Physics

• University of Colorado Boulder

  Ph.D., Physics

  1994 — 1999

Skills

• Visual Studio
• Game Development
• Game Programming
• Virtual Machines
• Visual Effects
• Algorithms
• Particle Systems
• Project Management
• Character Physics
• Procedural Animation
• Perforce
• C++
• Ps3
• High Performance Computing
• Fluid Simulation
• Software Engineering
• Data Visualization
• C
• Teaching
• Compiler Construction
• Video Games
• Network Programming
• Software Architecture
• Public Speaking
• Numerical Analysis
• Xbox 360
• 3d Visualization
• Object Oriented Design
• Simulations
• Concurrent Programming
• Parallel Algorithms
• Physics