Vickie Knight

Undergraduate Researcher at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering; Founder of Fluxa

ROS2Isaac Sim/Isaac LabRobot LearningC++20Python (PyTorch)Synthetic Data Generation

About

I'm Vickie Knight, an Undergraduate Researcher at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and the Founder of Fluxa. My journey has taken me from developing avionics tools at Blue Origin to teleoperating robots at Ai2, and now I'm focused on the intersection of robotics software and human-centered design. I'm passionate about solving the 'simulation bottleneck' in robot learning—specifically through Fluxa, where I'm building a natural language interface to make setting up simulation scenes effortless. I care deeply about creating an 'Apple moment' for robotics tools and generating synthetic tactile data for complex tasks like handling laundry or food. Whether I'm shipping code or hosting baking events for fellow founders, I'm always looking to connect with builders and researchers who want to reduce friction in the robotics world.

Networking

What I can offer

›Expertise in ROS2 and NVIDIA Isaac simulation
›Insights into synthetic data for robotics
›Experience with teleoperation and robot learning datasets
›Community building and event hosting

Looking for

›Collaborations with researchers and engineers in robotics and simulation
›Connections within the San Francisco startup and builder ecosystem
›expanding my professional network
›exploring mutual opportunities in robotics and AI

Best fit for

Robotics researchersSimulation engineersStartup foundersWomen in tech

Current Interests

Human-Centered RoboticsTactile data for fluid and deformable objectsAI Agents for technical workflowsSynthetic data generationCommunity building for women founders

Background

Career

Progressed from software engineering internships at JPMorgan and Blue Origin to specialized robotics research at Ai2 and the University of Washington, eventually founding Fluxa to focus on robotics simulation.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Informatics (Minor in Statistics), University of Washington (2020 – 2025)

Achievements

›Founder of Fluxa, a natural language interface for robotics simulation
›Co-built Neurosphere, an AI-driven medical visualization tool with gesture controls
›Selected for Dedalus Labs 'Break In' and The Residency's Delta sprint
›Awarded Scott Barker Endowed Scholarship for Excellence in Informatics

Opinions

Robotics has 'the brains' but lacks 'good design'; it needs an 'Apple moment' to make tools effortless.
The difficulty of setting up simulation infrastructure is a primary bottleneck slowing down robot learning.