Originally from San Diego, California, Jalen has had a lifelong passion for things that fly. He attended Johns Hopkins University where he studied aerospace engineering and economics, and subsequently graduated from Duke University with an M.S. in aerospace engineering. As an advisor, Jalen is able to draw on his broad range of experiences from across the aerospace industry. He started at traditional aerospace companies, United Technologies Corporation (now Collins Aerospace) and General Atomics, then switched to a research-based role at NASA, and most recently has been working with newer entrants at Uber Elevate and Joby Aviation.