Experience

Fortius Metals Inc

• United States
• Aviation & Aerospace
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Business Development

  • Jan 2023 - Present

  Lafayette, Colorado, United States



Pelzmann Industries, LLC

• Consulting Research Engineer

  • Feb 2014 - Present

  Mechanical engineer specializing in machine design, material analysis, industrial ceramics, composites, robotics, and manufacturing for aerospace, nanotech, and biomedical industries. Capabilities and/or services include: • Design of robotic systems: equations of motion; kinematic and dynamic analysis; control; extreme operating environments including high temperature, vacuum, and zero-gravity; extreme operating scales including micrometer and nanometer dimensions (MEMS… Show more Mechanical engineer specializing in machine design, material analysis, industrial ceramics, composites, robotics, and manufacturing for aerospace, nanotech, and biomedical industries. Capabilities and/or services include: • Design of robotic systems: equations of motion; kinematic and dynamic analysis; control; extreme operating environments including high temperature, vacuum, and zero-gravity; extreme operating scales including micrometer and nanometer dimensions (MEMS, NEMS). • Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using the Solidworks family of products. • Machine and mechatronic design: prototyping, design for manufacture, and design for assembly • Design of Experiments (DOE), execution of experiments, and analysis of experiments. • Exceptional-quality presentations, proposals, and reports on engineering projects. Clients Include: • Altius Space Machines: acting as Lead Roboticist - Lead the development of an under-actuated robotic grasper for extracting a boulder from the surface of an asteroid as part of NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) Option B - Our work provided material used in NASA's Mission Concept Review which resulted in the agency choosing Option B over Option A. - Work on this project included system design, mechanism design, kinematic analysis, control system design and programming, presentation design, and system demonstration Show less



Roccor, LLC

• Principal Project Engineer

  • Aug 2021 - Jan 2023



Dropworks, Inc.

• United States
• Biotechnology Research
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director Of Engineering

  • Apr 2020 - May 2021

  Direct the technical development of a novel commercial digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) instrument. Assembled, guided, and mentored a multidisciplinary team focused on the instrument’s electromechanical, fluidic, optical, and structural subsystems. Lead system assembly, integration, and testing of prototype instruments through verification and validation processes as a member of the Strategic Technical Team. • Managed the technical teams owning the product development of… Show more Direct the technical development of a novel commercial digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) instrument. Assembled, guided, and mentored a multidisciplinary team focused on the instrument’s electromechanical, fluidic, optical, and structural subsystems. Lead system assembly, integration, and testing of prototype instruments through verification and validation processes as a member of the Strategic Technical Team. • Managed the technical teams owning the product development of electromechanical, fluidic, optical, and structural subsystems. • Managed system Assembly Integration & Test (AI&T) for beta instruments. • Instituted subsystem and system-level design of experiments to solve active problem statements addressing fundamental instrument design issues. • Created and managed the strategic road map for product development, including technical demonstration goals, timelines, and resource management. • Managed the Product Requirements Document (PRD) review and update. • Led the subsystem testbed development effort, supporting both product verification and validation activities and quality control for commercial manufacturing. • Led technical group stand-ups to ensure similar alignment under ever-changing conditions in a fast-paced environment.

• Principal Systems Engineer

  • May 2019 - Apr 2020

  Boulder, CO Led the technical development of multiple electromechanical, fluidic, and structural subsystems in the pursuit of a novel commercial digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) instrument for research use. • Owned the interface, assembly, integration, and documentation of the instrument. • Led the redesign and development of the syringe pump subassembly, achieving industry-leading performance combining high volume with high-precision flow rates. • Instituted design review schedules for… Show more Led the technical development of multiple electromechanical, fluidic, and structural subsystems in the pursuit of a novel commercial digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) instrument for research use. • Owned the interface, assembly, integration, and documentation of the instrument. • Led the redesign and development of the syringe pump subassembly, achieving industry-leading performance combining high volume with high-precision flow rates. • Instituted design review schedules for subsystem product development, mirroring aerospace industry standards. • Instituted system-level documentation capturing critical information such as concept of operations (CONOPS), mirroring aerospace industry practices. • Created the company’s part numbering and serial numbering infrastructure.



Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems, Inc.

• Program Manager

  • Dec 2017 - May 2019

  Boulder, CO Led programmatic and technical execution of various projects, including large deployable mechanisms and structures and custom attitude control actuators for micro- and nano-scale satellites. • Managed Internal Research & Development (IRAD) effort to bring the design, fabrication, and qualification of a suite of actuators in-house for micro- and nano-scale satellites. Achieved schedule, budget, and technical goals through detailed planning and active management. • Led the creation of… Show more Led programmatic and technical execution of various projects, including large deployable mechanisms and structures and custom attitude control actuators for micro- and nano-scale satellites. • Managed Internal Research & Development (IRAD) effort to bring the design, fabrication, and qualification of a suite of actuators in-house for micro- and nano-scale satellites. Achieved schedule, budget, and technical goals through detailed planning and active management. • Led the creation of custom BLDC motors to meet aggressive size, weight, power, torque, and momentum budgets for RWA. • Nano-scale RWAs achieved best-in-class performance for mechanical noise and balance. • Led the technical design and development of deployment mechanisms for micro-scale high aspect ratio antennas. Show less



MMA Design LLC

• United States
• Defense & Space
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director, Programs

  • Mar 2017 - Dec 2017

  Directed the execution of programs, leading projects, building and fostering team dynamics, and mentoring team members. • Fostered strong team dynamics through individual support and mentorship. • Supported business development efforts, interfacing with potential and current customers to determine how the company could apply its enabling technologies to service the unique and challenging needs of the small satellite community.

• Director, Deployable Antennas

  • Apr 2016 - Mar 2017

  Led the technical development of high aspect ratio deployable antennas as the Systems Engineering lead, quickly transitioning into the director role. Directed the execution of multiple programs developing novel mechanisms and systems for deploying large antennas from micro- and nano-scale satellites. • Principal mechanical engineer designing deployment mechanisms for small satellites. • Project and program manager of multiple efforts supporting work for DARPA, NASA, and… Show more Led the technical development of high aspect ratio deployable antennas as the Systems Engineering lead, quickly transitioning into the director role. Directed the execution of multiple programs developing novel mechanisms and systems for deploying large antennas from micro- and nano-scale satellites. • Principal mechanical engineer designing deployment mechanisms for small satellites. • Project and program manager of multiple efforts supporting work for DARPA, NASA, and AFRL. • Directed multidisciplinary technical teams designing custom deployable antennas for private and government customers.



Altius Space Machines, Inc.

• Lead Roboticist

  • Jun 2015 - Apr 2016

  Broomfield, CO Proposed, managed, and executed a broad range of projects utilizing robotics and general automation to solve some of the unique scientific and industrial challenges of space operations. • Principal Investigator (PI) on a NASA Phase I SBIR grant researching unique robotic manipulators for use with Assistive Free Flyers (AFF) on the International Space Station (ISS). • Led the investigation of dexterous autonomous and telerobotic systems for remote execution of scientific experiments… Show more Proposed, managed, and executed a broad range of projects utilizing robotics and general automation to solve some of the unique scientific and industrial challenges of space operations. • Principal Investigator (PI) on a NASA Phase I SBIR grant researching unique robotic manipulators for use with Assistive Free Flyers (AFF) on the International Space Station (ISS). • Led the investigation of dexterous autonomous and telerobotic systems for remote execution of scientific experiments aboard orbital and suborbital platforms. • Continued development of an under-actuated robotic grasper for extracting a boulder from the surface of an asteroid; project begun while contracting for Altius under Pelzmann Industries, LLC. Show less



Escape Dynamics, Inc.

• United States
• Aviation & Aerospace
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Lead Research Engineer

  • Nov 2012 - Jan 2014

  Broomfield, CO Led the formation, design, and operation of the Advanced Materials Division while supporting company development through numerous additional activities. • Developed the fabrication and analysis capability for manufacturing Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) via Polymer Infiltration and Pyrolysis (PIP) for use with Three-Dimensional Textile Reinforcement Architecture (3D braiding and weaving). • Aided in the design, analysis, and manufacturing of a microwave thermal rocket engine. •… Show more Led the formation, design, and operation of the Advanced Materials Division while supporting company development through numerous additional activities. • Developed the fabrication and analysis capability for manufacturing Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) via Polymer Infiltration and Pyrolysis (PIP) for use with Three-Dimensional Textile Reinforcement Architecture (3D braiding and weaving). • Aided in the design, analysis, and manufacturing of a microwave thermal rocket engine. • Led the Design of Experiments (DOE), experiment execution, and analysis • Operated analysis equipment including: optical stereo microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS), electromagnetic network analyzer (NA), and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) photography. • Designed and fabricated manufacturing and experimental equipment utilizing computer-aided design (CAD), finite element analysis (FEA), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), manual tooling, and computer numeric control (CNC) tooling. • Acting manager of the laboratory facilities. Show less



University of Illinois Chicago

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Assistant

  • Jan 2009 - Nov 2012

  Worked as a member of the Microsystems and Devices Laboratory, specializing in contact-based micro-/nano-manufacturing research. This included the conceptualization, design, modelings, fabrication, and testing of various methods for the manufacturing of structures and mechanisms constructed from micro-/nano-scale components (MEMS, NEMS). Emphasis on micro-/nano-scale forces, macro- and microchip-scale robotic systems, and the kinematic and dynamic behavior of multibody robotic systems.



Aktiv-Dry, LLC

• Mechanical Engineer

  • Mar 2006 - Nov 2007

  • Designed, manufactured, and analyzed biomedical devices for the delivery of vaccines to remote populations without the use of needles or cold storage.