An engineer wearing a cap and sunglasses stands in front of tall silver metal power infrastructure in the brown sandy desert.
Image courtesy of Paul Mahacek

Year: 2005

School: Santa Clara University

Project: Revenge of the SWATH: Dynamic analysis of a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull vessel

Advisor: Bill Kirkwood

Currently: Engineer

From ocean engineering to climate innovation: How Paul Mahacek is building systems for a changing world.

Former MBARI intern Paul Mahacek is the co-founder and CEO of AtmoCooling, where he is developing large-scale systems to cool environments facing extreme heat—from agriculture to urban infrastructure.

Meet the engineer

Mahacek’s work focuses on microclimate cooling technologies that use controlled droplet evaporation to efficiently reduce air temperature while optimizing water use, including saline and non-traditional sources.

His work connects back to ocean science in unexpected ways, from desalination brine management to coastal climate resilience, transforming waste streams into scalable environmental solutions.

An early start at MBARI

Mahacek was an MBARI intern in 2005, working on the design of autonomous marine vehicles with engineer Bill Kirkwood.

His project focused on improving the performance of a SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) autonomous surface vessel by optimizing its stability and wave response to support oceanographic data collection.

Research Publication

Kitts, C., P. Mahacek, T. Adamek, K. Rasal, V. Howard, S. Li, A. Badaoui, W. Kirkwood, G. Wheat, and S. Hulme. 2012. Field operation of a robotic small waterplane area twin hull boat for shallow-water bathymetric characterization. Journal of Field Robotics, 29: 924–938. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rob.21427

For Mahacek, MBARI was one of the first times engineering theory met real-world complexity.

“It was one of my first experiences working on a system operating in a complex natural environment, where physics, engineering, and environmental conditions all had to come together,” he explained, noting that the experience fundamentally shaped how he approaches problems today. “It pushed me to focus on building robust, field-deployable systems rather than purely theoretical solutions.”

What made MBARI different

At MBARI, the work was not abstract. It had to function in the ocean.

“I wasn’t just supporting a lab project,” said Mahacek. “I was contributing to systems intended for real deployment.”

That emphasis on reliability and performance in unpredictable conditions set the experience apart.

Twelve summer interns wearing blue t-shirts and red beanie caps pose for a photo in an office building. In the foreground are a glass table and a purple armchair. In the background is an art installation with dried brown kelp.
MBARI summer interns tackle real-world science and engineering challenges, bouncing ideas off one another to find innovative solutions. Image courtesy of Paul Mahacek

A lasting lesson

Mahacek said one insight from his internship continues to stick with him and guide his work today: “The real world exposes weak assumptions very quickly. A design can look great on paper, but once it’s in a dynamic environment like the ocean, every simplification gets tested.”

“I wasn’t just supporting a lab project, I was contributing to systems intended for real deployment.”

—Paul Mahacek

Why MBARI matters

Mahacek sees internship programs like MBARI’s as essential bridges between education and application.

“They give students the chance to work on systems that actually have to function in complex, unpredictable environments. That’s something that’s hard to replicate in a classroom,” he said.

They also accelerate interdisciplinary thinking. Mahacek explained, “Ocean science sits at the intersection of engineering, data science, robotics, and environmental science. MBARI exposes interns to that full stack early in their careers.”

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