Philip Renkert

Hey! I'm Phil.

I started out as a farmer, went to school for mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia, and went to school again for mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois. There, I built optimization tools to help engineers design dynamic systems. Now out in the working world, I'm designing simulation and data management tools that support the development and validation of autonomous systems.

Though I'm trained in equations, calculators, and the art of taking tests, I approach my work more like an artist or designer would. Prescriptive solutions are my Kryptonite; I am fueled by curiosity, creativity, and a dash of perfectionism.

I draw inspiration from the first and foremost Creator, whose work sets an beautifully high bar. He also provides a manual for work and life that tells me all I need to know about who I am and what I am to do. A few of my favorite instructions for work are:

1. I love doing what I do

   "[T]here is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot" (Ecclesiastes 4.5).

2. To work is to serve

   "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men... You are serving the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3.23-24).

3. I am to produce excellent work with the tools I've been given.

   "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft" (Exodus 31.2-5).

   For those of us not whom God did not directly ordain, He continues:

   "I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you" (Exodus 31.6).

4. There's always more to learn.

   "Never be wise in your own sight" (Romans 12:16).