Sensors, Energy, and
Automation Laboratory
Engineering research that moves from lab bench to real-world impact — in medicine, defense, avionics, energy, and beyond.
Who we are
A UW engineering research lab at the crossroads of sensors, energy, and automation. We take on hard problems in medicine, avionics, wearable tech, defense, and sustainability — and see them through to real-world application. Associates have gone on to found startups, publish research, and land roles at top companies.
The lab runs like a giant RPG: quests, battlestations, squads, a sandbox for newcomers, and mission-critical teams for high performers. SEAL operates its own AI-first infrastructure — a persistent lab assistant that integrates real-time sensor data, manages computational resources autonomously, and automates research coordination across all teams. We're always open to motivated people — experience is welcome, but never required.
SEAL Teams
ITAC
Industrial Training and Assessment Center
Energy assessments and technical solutions for industrial efficiency and sustainability.
Plasma
High Voltage Plasma Research
High-voltage plasma R&D with applications in medical devices, filtration, avionics, and satellites.
Biz/Tech
Business & Technology
Spin-off formation, grant proposals, scholarship coordination, and lab commercialization.
Embedded
Embedded Systems & Instrumentation
Sensor design, weak-signal detection, and signal processing across agriculture, scientific measurement, and environmental monitoring.
Sudoku
DevOps & Software Engineering
Software platforms, web systems, apps, scripts, and media production.
Teaching
Education & Teaching Tools
Novel teaching tools and curricula, deployed in UW courses and institutions worldwide.
Why join SEAL?
Earn Academic Credit
Take on 1–3 credits while shipping real work on active projects. Flexible commitment, real output.
Do Real Research
Get hands-on with graduate-level work at one of the world's top public research universities.
Build Your Resume
You learn by doing. Every project teaches something concrete and demonstrable.
Publish and Win Scholarships
SEAL actively supports students pursuing publications and scholarships — especially valuable for anyone with graduate school in mind.
Build With AI
Gain hands-on experience with AI-first engineering — from LLM integration and agentic systems to real-time sensor fusion and autonomous resource management. The skills every industry is hiring for.