Jill Zande
Chartered Marine Technologist
President/Executive Director, MATE Inspiration for Innovation
PI, NSF Evaluate-Compete and Special Project Grants
Co-Principal Investigator, National Center for Autonomous Technologies
Academic Background:
- M.S. Oceanography & Coastal Studies, Louisiana State University
- B.S. Biology, Minor in Marine Science, Penn State University
Current Position: As the Associate Director, Co-PI, and Competition Coordinator for the MATE Center, Jill’s role is to work closely with industry to ensure that educational programs are aligned with workforce needs and to facilitate partnerships among educators, students, employers, and working professionals. Jill maintains relationships with well over 100 businesses, research institutions, government agencies, and professional societies and nearly 200 middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities that participate in MATE ROV competitions each year.
Jill’s role also includes identifying potential funding opportunities, writing proposals, and strategic planning. She coordinated the development of MATE’s Underwater Robotics: Science, Design & Fabrication textbook.
In addition, Jill oversees MATE II, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting the MATE ROV competition and its other programs that inspire and challenge students to learn and creatively apply science, technology, art, engineering, and math to solving real-world problems in a way that strengthens critical thinking, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
More recently, Jill is a Co-PI for the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT), an NSF ATE Center of Excellence established in 2019.
Related Experience: Jill is an active member of the Marine Technology Society (MTS). She served on the MTS Board as the Vice President of Education and Research for 6 years. She currently serves as the Underwater Intervention (UI) Technical Program Committee Marine Education Track Chair and is the chair of the MTS-Monterey Bay section. She is also a member of the MTS ROV and Education Committees.
Prior to marine technical education, Jill’s focus was on marine research. During her Master's degree program at LSU, Jill participated in research cruises that investigated hydrocarbon seep communities in the Gulf of Mexico using the Johnson Sea-Link and Alvin submersibles. As a research technician at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), Jill's focus shifted from the deep ocean to the coastal environments where she studied seagrass communities.
Personal Interests: Jill is a huge fan of outdoor activities (hiking with her dog and running are at the top of her list) and the Super Bowl LII Champion Philadelphia Eagles. She also enjoys traveling (Venice is her current favorite destination), wine tasting, reading, and spending time with her aviator husband Roy Woods and aspiring thespian daughter Addison (whose latest role is in Schoolhouse Rock Live Too!).
