Paul Evans — the son of an accountant, his father, and marriage and family therapist, his mother — joined Southwest Research Institute in 1997, having earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering at Walla Walla University in Washington State and Iowa State, respectively.Since then, as director of manufacturing and robotics technologies, he's guided numerous research and development projects that have not only yielded significant advancements in applied robotics, but also have honed many talented roboticists who have gone on to start companies and help grow San Antonio's reputation as an emerging hub in the field.