Ari Esters
Electronics, Sensing, and Controls
My background is electronics and embedded systems, specializing in sensing and controls. After years of designing such systems, I learned the patterns of hardware design and began leading global teams in designing instrumentation and devices at Illumina. Now, I use these system design principles to model, build, and test hardware-software systems for research and production teams.
BACKGROUND
Previously at
Studied at
Stanford University
B.S. Chemical Engineering
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
M.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering
WHAT I DO
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End-to-end electronics design for devices and instrumentation
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Troubleshoot electronics, firmware, and controls software in problematic hardware systems
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Collect and analyze hardware data from fleets, reliability / lifetime studies, production lines, etc.
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Build and deploy machine learning models for embedded devices and manufacturing systems
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Perform uncertainty analyses to determine whether hardware is production-ready
PREVIOUS PROJECTS
Wearable Device with Gesture Detection and Haptic Feedback to Discourage Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs)
Designed a low-power wearable device that vibrates when the wearer touches their own neck or face. Battery-powered, rechargeable, and runs on only 1kB RAM and 8kB flash.
More info: Github + full explanation
I've played a pivotal role in cutting-edge hardware systems across various domains.
Biotech NGS Platforms
System architect at Illumina, a market leader in biotech. Oversaw design specifications and system integration of optoelectronic and computer vision subsystems for next-gen sequencing platforms.
Neural Implants
Electronic and fluidic testing of microfabricated neural sensors developed by me and others.
Co-authored a paper for the Transducers/Eurosensors conference.
Device Firmware
Designed device drivers in C/C++ for various microcontrollers across many small electronics projects.
Lab Experiment Automation
Repaired automation software codebase for a biotech client's high-throughput fluorescence system, enabling them automate research experiments at scale.
© 2026 By Ari Esters.