Roger C.

About Roger C.

My job is to be the most useful person a founder talks to this week, whether or not we invest.As VP of Engineering at Prime Movers Lab, I partner with founders to help evaluate breakthrough technologies, shape technical roadmaps, and build world-class engineering organizations.I began my career at NASA\'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developing SAR classification and remote-sensing workflows for cryospheric research. Wanting to understand how the instruments behind that data were built, I went back to earn a master\'s degree in mechanical engineering and took a role at JILA, where I built hands-on expertise in fabrication and metrology.The combination of remote sensing knowledge and hardware skills led me to a deep-tech startup, where I eventually led the design, manufacture, and integration of miniaturized microwave radiometers. These instruments were the first of their kind to fly commercially and delivered data to defense and civil government customers. Over eight years, I went from technical contributor to engineering leadership and the executive team, scaling the engineering function and leading multi-million dollar programs with international partners.Along the way I learned that hardware companies\' hardest problems are rarely just hardware problems. They are trust, coordination, and sequencing problems.My technical breadth spans remote sensing and data science, mechanical design and systems engineering, RF and microwave systems, microfabrication, thermal management, and environmental testing. I have taken complex hardware from concept to deployment and built the regulatory and organizational frameworks needed to support it.M.S. Mechanical Engineering (design, microsystems, remote sensing) and M.E.M. Engineering Management, CU Boulder. IFMGA-certified mountain guide, volunteer search and rescue team member, and Eagle Scout.Building something hard? I would rather hear your problem than your pitch.

Experience

1. Vice President of Engineering

   Prime Movers Lab

   Feb 2026 — Present

   I lead technical due diligence on potential investments across deep tech — evaluating scientific feasibility, technical risk, and competitive positioning for breakthrough hardware and science companies. I also serve as a technical advisor to portfolio founders, helping with roadmap decisions, engineering team building, and the operational challenges of getting from lab to market. At PML, we believe the least useful thing we provide is capital. I take that ethos into every founder conversation.

Education

• University of Colorado Boulder

  Master of Engineering - MEng, Engineering Management

• University of Colorado Boulder

  Master of Science - MS, Mechanical Engineering

• University of Colorado Boulder

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology