Alfredo Ayala

Senior Technical Staff, Research & Development
Walt Disney Imagineering

Alfredo Ayala has been with the Research & Development arm of Walt Disney Imagineering since 1993, where he started as an intern.  He is responsible for leading Research & Development project teams in identifying technology differentiators and adapting and creating new forms of technology to facilitate the needs of Walt Disney Imagineering as well as numerous other divisions within The Walt Disney Company.

Imagineering has presented Ayala with an amazing opportunity to work on a wide range of projects across many disciplines.  He holds over ten patents and has developed many trade secrets in technology, design and art.  Some of his developed technology has helped Walt Disney teams win the prestigious THEA (Themed Entertainment Association) Award for such projects as Soarin’, Mission Space, Finding Nemo, and Kim Possible Game.  In addition, he was the recipient of the 2007 Walt Disney Imagineering “Spirit of Innoventions” Award.  Most recently, he was part of a team working on the next generation of Audio-Animatronics figures called “Autonomatronics” as well as new Animation Pipelines.  Many of his past and present cutting-edge projects are categorized by The Walt Disney Company as “Classified” or “Top Secret.”

Ayala is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Chemical Society and the American Optical Society.  A native Angeleno born at General Hospital (now County USC Medical Center), he was raised in Lincoln Heights where he attended Gate Street Elementary and Nightingale Junior High Schools.  After graduating from the Bio Science Program of Lincoln Heights’ Abraham High School, he went on to earn Bachelor of Science degrees in both Chemistry and Electrical Engineering from California State University Los Angeles.  He resides in West Covina with his loving wife, Julie, and two dogs, Napoleon and Gypsy.