Florida Polytechnic University graduate Joseph Patullo at NVIDIA’s Silicon Valley headquarters in California. He received a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University in 2021.
From late-night robotics lab sessions to the forefront of autonomous vehicle technology, Joseph Patullo ’21 is driving innovation as a systems software engineer at NVIDIA’s autonomous vehicles division in Santa Clara, California.
Just four years after earning his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at Florida Polytechnic University, Patullo finds himself collaborating with global automotive leaders and testing the limits of cutting-edge driver assistance systems for the accelerated computing giant.
“It’s inspiring to see that we’re one part of this much bigger company that is touching the whole world and the future of the world,” he said.
At NVIDIA, Patullo serves as a systems integration and test engineer, supporting software tooling development and testing efforts. This work enables testing of the autonomous driving software being developed for major vehicle manufacturers, and it is showcased on NVIDIA’s DRIVE Labs YouTube channel.
“It’s a dynamic environment where things are constantly shifting – new bugs to fix, developments to test, iterations to make – with NVIDIA engineers throughout the globe working around the clock alongside the engineers of the vehicle manufacturers,” the Hollywood, Florida, native said.
The path from Florida Poly to Silicon Valley was shaped by both academic excellence – Patullo graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA – and a passion for hands-on learning. After graduation, he worked at a medical robotics start-up before working with the U.S. Navy as a civilian computer engineer.
Patullo said the skills he developed with Florida Poly’s robotics club and competitive robotics teams have proven to be invaluable. He cited troubleshooting issues with various root causes as one such skill.
“In robotics, you deal with software, electrical, and mechanical parts all at once, and that experience taught me how to break down complex problems and figure out where things go wrong,” he said. “For example, now when a sensor has a problem, I have to determine whether the sensor itself has gone bad, there are loose connections from vibrations in the car, or if it’s an issue on the software side. Learning to think that way – to isolate the true source of a problem and solve it efficiently – is a skill I built at Florida Poly and still rely on every day.”
Patullo encourages current and future University students to get as involved as possible. While a student, he led the VEX robotics team to the 2018 VEX U World Championship, where it received a judge’s award. He also was president of the Purple Fire Robotics Club in 2019 and 2020 and served as a Presidential Ambassador.
The NVIDIA engineer offered words of advice for those working toward their STEM degree.
“Get as involved as you can in technical extracurriculars, but always keep your studies a priority, because those clubs will help you focus and build specialized knowledge while collaborating with your peers,” Patullo said. “When it’s time for interviews, that hands-on experience will give you an edge and help you feel more confident stepping into the industry.”
Joseph Patullo (center) ’21, led Florida Polytechnic University’s VEX robotics team
to the 2018 VEX Robotics World Championship, where it won the Design Division’s Judge’s
Award.
Contact:
Lydia Guzmán
Director of Communications
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