Who We Are
Taking power to new heights with Airborne Wind Energy.
Windlift’s mission is to produce energy for a sustainable civilization.
We strongly believe that addressing climate change is the defining challenge of our time. To meet this challenge, we are designing and building Airborne Power Generators (APG) that use 95% less material than a comparable wind turbine. This is a big deal and it’s exceptionally hard. We now have a line of sight to completing technical development and bringing an airborne wind energy product to the world. We’re scheduling demonstrations for 2023, so reach out if you would like to see our technology take to the sky.
Windlift is based in Durham, North Carolina. Our team of visionaries, quants and gearheads are currently developing the next generation of airborne wind energy solutions.
Taking power to new heights with Airborne Wind Energy.
Windlift’s mission is to produce energy for a sustainable civilization.
We strongly believe that addressing climate change is the defining challenge of our time. To meet this challenge, we are designing and building airborne power generators that use 95% less material than a comparable wind turbine. This is a big deal and it’s exceptionally hard. Windlift has been working on this technology for over 10 years, and we now have a line of sight to completing technical development and bringing an airborne wind energy product to the world.
If you are passionate about our mission and want to join a team developing a technology with the potential to produce scalable, low-cost sustainable energy, we’d like to talk with you! We offer a competitive salary, healthcare plans, retirement plan contributions and PTO. Keep reading to find out about our openings.
Our Values
Our Values
IMAGINATIVE INNOVATION
HONEST COLLABORATION
AWED BY NATURE
BUILD VALUE
We find creative solutions to intractable problems
We work as one team, and value open and honest conversation
We are amazed by the beauty of natural systems, and work to protect them
We perfect simulations, create prototypes, and run experiments to learn from execution
Diversity and Inclusion are crucial. Windlift is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and making a workplace where all employees feel at home. To accomplish this, we believe it is essential to listen to our employees and take action so that every employee can thrive. We celebrate the individuals who make our team great – and successful so that we can all bring about a better future.
Meet our Executive Team
Rob Creighton
Founder | Chief Operating Officer
Rob is the founder of Windlift and is responsible for all facets of the business. Under Rob’s leadership, Windlift has consistently produced high-quality, groundbreaking technologies while cultivating strategic relationships across private and government sectors. Since founding Windlift in 2006, Rob has established himself as an entrepreneurial leader and developer of disruptive technologies. Rob has a BS in Genetics and an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. LinkedIn
Andy Stough
Chief Technology Officer
As the Chief Technology Officer, Stough leads Windlift’s engineering team and is responsible for the design and development of Windlift APG. Stough is a natural-born problem solver who leverages a systems approach to balancing the complex — and, at times, counter-intuitive — tradeoffs inherent in AWE systems. Andy has more than 25 years of industry experience spanning Caterpillar, Siemens-Westinghouse, Battelle, and Ericsson. Andy has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University and an MS from North Carolina State University. LinkedIn
Mark Aull
Chief Science Officer
Mark joined Windlift in 2013 and has guided Windlift’s analysis and simulation capabilities development, resulting in a Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation environment critical to Windlift’s technology development and a novel analysis and design tool for which he earned a Ph.D. Prior to Windlift, Mark was instrumental in developing an Airborne Wind Energy technology demonstrator at NASA Langley and has worked on other autonomous systems, including robot arms, ground vehicles, and gas turbine engine diagnostic systems. Mark has a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. LinkedIn
Thomas Burroughs
Lead Test Engineer
Thomas joined Windlift as an intern while studying aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University. After several years of building and testing prototypes, Thomas is now the Lead test Engineer responsible for all aspects of aircraft fabrication, transportation, assembly and testing. Thomas has a BS in Aerospace Engineering from NCSU. LinkedIn