SUMMARY:

• A methodical, detailed - oriented electrical design engineer with over 30 years of experience in design/development and production support of electronic system components in the automotive, energy, appliance & defense industries. Strong leadership & people skills. Strong knowledge in product design & development and validation testing (including standards/specs.). Also a computer expert. Fast learner with high aptitude.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Confidential, Louisville, Kentucky

Lead Platform Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Led the identification & resolution of device-related technical issues for Smart Grid home energy management pilot programs deployed with major utilities in Detroit, Phoenix & California, working with GE Digital Energy Management systems team in Melbourne, FL and overseas software development teams (including overseas vendors). Quickly developed & setup a new test that revealed a previously unsolved “glitch” in the primary home energy management hub’s WiFi communication, which enabled reproducing & capturing the misbehavior, measuring quantifiable improvements in firmware refinements and ultimately resolving the issue.
• Similarly developed a test that enabled reproducing & capturing an issue with the ZigBee communication between the hub device (Nucleus) and an appliance communications module (ACM), utilizing Ubiqua for recording sniffer traces. Led the process for several new device firmware & app/software releases, as well as for updating & shipping devices. All timing requirements were satisfied despite several challenges in resource constraints and deployment demands. Led process of releasing new fault code diagnostic software for GE’s newest refrigerator models - now leading a similar effort for dishwashers.
• This has reduced service calls (particularly 2nd-time calls) & the no. of parts used/call. Successfully completed GE’s Analytics Engineer Program & received through completing online courses in data science offered by Stanford & UdaCity.com, plus also successfully completing a final case study assignment. Developed & setup several new dishwasher tests in the Service Diagnostic lab, which has significantly expanded the lab’s testing capabilities. Also managing the collection of lab & field test data, including the storage & organization of it, as well as conducting the analyses on it (utilizing R, Minitab & Eureqa) for predictive model development. Submitted three invention disclosures - one related to the aforementioned improvements made in the main hub’s WiFi communication (kept as a trade secret) and two others recently for model-based appliance operation and diagnostics.

Confidential, Greenville, South Carolina

12/13Lead Design Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Led the development, including test planning & evaluation for many advanced combustion-related components (e.g. igniters, oxygen sensors and optical sensors to detect flame, measure flame temperature & dynamic pressure), for use on gas turbines. Prepared project proposals with cost & timing estimates, worked closely with vendors to develop designs & specifications, conducted testing, analyzed test data, periodically presented results to peers & upper management and made recommendations for gaining approval to proceed with further development of technologies. Developed tools in MATLAB & Simulink for model-based combustion controls and utilized to evaluate control mode designs over wide ranges of load, ambient temperatures & fuels. Simulations of steady-state & transient cases allowed for verification & optimization of the system (with respect to all operational targets & boundaries - e.g. emissions, dynamics & lean blow-out), while dramatically mitigating risks and accelerating field deployment time.

Confidential, Anderson, South Carolina

Senior Development Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Handled all sample development & technical issues for GM (primary customer), instrumental in $80M new business . Also handled Mercury Marine, Cummins, Daimler-Chrysler, BMW, VW, Porsche & Subaru. Often prepared presentations, test reports, offer drawings & specifications for customers and other internal drawings & parts lists (in SAP). Periodically participated in technical meetings with direct customer contact (e.g. monthly meetings with GM). Supervised Development Dept. Sample Shop Coordinator & Operators, as well as German (engineering) Interns. An excellent record for sample on-time delivery (> 95%) & zero defects was maintained while in charge of the Sample Shop (Bosch sponsored a company appreciation event for achieving these goals for two consecutive years). Project leader for advanced thimble type sensor with Fast Light-Off (FLO) Heater, Si-resistance and Breathability. Worked closely with sales & application engineers during the quoting process to secure new sensor business with GM. This involved gaining a thorough understanding of the customer requirements and noting any exceptions that needed to be taken. Also familiar with TS16949 and have utilized APQP & Shainin Green Y®/Red X® techniques.
• Responsible for thimble sensor heater development & validation testing. Worked with Japanese & German suppliers in developing and releasing new heating elements for mass production. Also worked with suppliers in defining new specifications and developing Fast Light-Off (FLO) and 42V Heating Elements, to stay ahead of market demands. Project co-leader for next generation planar sensor with thermal shock protection and advanced heater isolation. Led Design Review By Failure Mode (DRBFM) and Design FMEA efforts, design validation test plan development & execution, plus manufacturing & test spec. creation (including translations & document releases for production). Trained & experienced in Design of Experiments (DoE) using Cornerstone as well as Minitab. Developed a unique thermal shock test utilizing an induction heater and compressed air to quantify & solve an intermittent electrical contact issue with thimble oxygen sensors (for a critical vehicle field issue). Also used DoE to optimize the functional characteristics of the next generation planar sensor to meet all customer requirements by varying design parameters. In-house expert for wideband sensor technology. Key member of project team responsible for technology transfer for initial production start-up in the U.S. Visited several test stand suppliers in Germany to select the best one to build a new multi-point rich/lean gas test stand that was needed for this sensor type. Only electrical engineer in department. Responsible for test stand development, procurement, upgrading and maintenance:
• Worked with Technicians & German Interns to realize new bench-test setups, to increase in-house testing capabilities. This often involved the use of LabVIEW and PC-based Data Acquisition (DAQ) hardware.

Confidential, Harrodsburg, Kentucky

Senior Design Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the design and liaison support for Electronic Engine Control Units manufactured for Nissan and Ford, as well as for an Automatic Transmission Control Module manufactured for Nissan. Oversaw new model year product launches for MY’98 (including holding Design Reviews) and implemented several cost reduction ideas. Responsible for new product development, including component and labor cost estimations in determining profitability and final sales price quotation for a MY'00 Vehicle Multiplexing Module for GM Truck Group. Responsible for the design and liaison support for the Airbag Sensing/Diagnostic Module manufactured for Breed Technologies (Tier I supplier to Fiat, Italy): Reduced unit parts costs through the in corporation of VA/VE design changes into the new generation replacement model by over 25% per assembly (first Hitachi product to implement thread-forming screws). Significantly improved unit performance, reliability and manufacturability of the new generation replacement model through the improved (“robust”) design changes. Coordinated validation testing, including attending EMI/EMC testing in person at an outside facility to assure testing was performed properly and on time to meet critical schedule requirements for new model phase-in.

Confidential

Design Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the design and profitability of the Mass Airflow Sensor product line manufactured for Ford: Evaluated materials and processes of components for supplier &/or design changes. Many of the supplier changes resulted in an increase in the U.S. content of the products along with substantially reduced parts cost while always maintaining or exceeding the previous quality level. Experienced in Statistical Process Control (SPC). Prepared budgets semi-annually for each Mass Airflow Sensor model based on parts, labor and overhead costs. Participated in monthly Cost Management Meetings in reviewing each product’s profitability performance and addressed reasons for deficiencies. Assisted in determining root causes of in-process and field returns. Used "8-D" disciplines of problem solving. Introduced and promoted corrective measures to eliminate or reduce the possibility of future occurrences. Participated in periodic Product Quality Team (PQT) meetings, which included members from both Hitachi and Ford. Items requiring quality improvement (including findings on warranty returns) were discussed. Participated in monthly Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE) meetings with Ford and Hitachi Sales

Confidential, McKinney, Texas

7/90 Electrical Design Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Designed, developed, documented and maintained test software for automated production testing of F-111 Terrain Following Radar (TFR) Transmitter/Synchronizer Units. Implementation of the test software (written in Pascal, Basic and 8088 Assembly) reduced test time by approximately 50%. Designed automated control panels used for production testing of the Transmitter/Synchronizer Units utilizing bipolar and CMOS Programmable Array Logic (PAL) devices and First-In First-Out (FIFO) memories. Reduced test time approximately 30% and eliminated errors in the manual operation of the control panel.
• Designed an operator interface board for an upgraded F-111 TFR Computer Unit test station. The overall upgrade substantially improved test station reliability and ease-of-use. Designed and developed the test fixture and software used with an Automated Network Analyzer (ANA) for incoming inspections of F-111 TFR Receiver Bandpass Filter Assemblies. Substantially reduced lost time of testing because of failures which before could not be caught until the filters had been installed and tested in the Receiver subassembly. Evaluated several types of late-model commercial test equipment, including Digital Storage Oscilloscopes (DSO's), which substantially improved the speed and accuracy of measurements for F-111 TFR Transmitter/Synchronizer Unit production tests.

Confidential

Student Trainee

Responsibilities:

• Assisted flight test engineers in the preparation of flight test plans and reports for several classified advanced airborne electronics programs. Assisted in the coordination of flight test data recording for an experimental airborne radar threat detection/ warning receiver.