Rachael Van Pelt

Process Development Engineer at MycoWorks
  • Claim this Profile
Contact Information
us****@****om
(386) 825-5501
Location
San Francisco Bay Area

Topline Score

Topline score feature will be out soon.

Bio

Generated by
Topline AI

You need to have a working account to view this content.
You need to have a working account to view this content.

Experience

    • United States
    • Biotechnology Research
    • 100 - 200 Employee
    • Process Development Engineer
      • Sep 2022 - Present

      Emeryville, California, United States • To support commercial scale plant opening in September 2023, perform critical experiments in the pilot plant to improve product quality and achieve the minimum viable product for plant startup. • Collaborate with Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality to run scale up experiments of new processes and evaluate their impact on mycelium sheet properties. • For each project, define problem statement and solution hypothesis, create a test method, and determine the success criteria. Collect… Show more • To support commercial scale plant opening in September 2023, perform critical experiments in the pilot plant to improve product quality and achieve the minimum viable product for plant startup. • Collaborate with Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality to run scale up experiments of new processes and evaluate their impact on mycelium sheet properties. • For each project, define problem statement and solution hypothesis, create a test method, and determine the success criteria. Collect data, analyze using JMP, and communicate conclusions and recommendations. • Lead technical development of a high-performance product for demanding customer applications. Screen options through a series of scale up experiments.

    • Senior Research Associate
      • Jul 2021 - Sep 2022

      Emeryville, California, United States • Established R&D analytical lab by commissioning instruments, implementing a sample submission and data reporting process, and building a preventative maintenance schedule. • Execute mechanical sample testing according to ISO/ASTM methods and develop internal test methods. • Design experiments, analyze data, and recommend processing methods to meet customer performance attributes, including color, durability, and mechanical strength.

    • United States
    • Wholesale Building Materials
    • 200 - 300 Employee
    • Process Engineer
      • Jul 2019 - Jul 2021

      Greater Chicago Area • Support three 24 hr/6 day production lines manufacturing plastic-based flooring tile. Troubleshoot issues on the lines, working with operators and supervisors to meet quality specifications. • Analyze process settings and quality metrics in Minitab to track and improve Cpk. Develop RCA tools for problem solving, leading to a 70% reduction in lost time for a line’s top loss. Own update, creation, and control of standard work documentation. • Led transition of specialty product to a new… Show more • Support three 24 hr/6 day production lines manufacturing plastic-based flooring tile. Troubleshoot issues on the lines, working with operators and supervisors to meet quality specifications. • Analyze process settings and quality metrics in Minitab to track and improve Cpk. Develop RCA tools for problem solving, leading to a 70% reduction in lost time for a line’s top loss. Own update, creation, and control of standard work documentation. • Led transition of specialty product to a new line, resulting in significant yield savings. Planned trials, implemented formula and equipment changes, and developed process settings. • Drive collaboration with maintenance team to prioritize and plan downtime repair and preventative maintenance work. Scope, justify, and write capital project appropriation requests to improve yield and throughput.

    • R&D Scientist
      • Dec 2018 - Jul 2019

      Lancaster, Pennsylvania Area • Focused on development of new-to-the-world flooring products made with recycled materials. • Led development of thermoplastic composite formulation and sample testing, utilizing a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and impact tester. Scaled up to plant trials in 3 months. • Aided in trial execution and performance testing of UV cured wear coatings. • Participated in commissioning and executed trials on pilot twin screw extrusion and tile… Show more • Focused on development of new-to-the-world flooring products made with recycled materials. • Led development of thermoplastic composite formulation and sample testing, utilizing a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and impact tester. Scaled up to plant trials in 3 months. • Aided in trial execution and performance testing of UV cured wear coatings. • Participated in commissioning and executed trials on pilot twin screw extrusion and tile making equipment. • Safety Audit Chair for the R&D safety committee and co-chair of ASCEND, an employee development affinity group.

    • Engineering Leadership Development Program Associate
      • Jan 2017 - Nov 2018

      Various January 2017 to January 2018 - Project Engineer in Beverly, WV. Executed capital projects, managing schedules and budgets. Created layouts in AutoCAD and worked with maintenance team for installations. Led Kaizen event to identify and reduce waste in plant quality management system. January 2018 to April 2018 - Procurement Associate in Lancaster, PA. Used data from SAP to determine plant MRO inventory turns and aging. April 2018 to November 2019 - R&D Scientist in Lancaster, PA. Worked… Show more January 2017 to January 2018 - Project Engineer in Beverly, WV. Executed capital projects, managing schedules and budgets. Created layouts in AutoCAD and worked with maintenance team for installations. Led Kaizen event to identify and reduce waste in plant quality management system. January 2018 to April 2018 - Procurement Associate in Lancaster, PA. Used data from SAP to determine plant MRO inventory turns and aging. April 2018 to November 2019 - R&D Scientist in Lancaster, PA. Worked on development of rigid core flooring products. Characterized formulations using DMA, DSC, FTIR, and impact testing. Created new test methods on DMA to determine modulus, creep compliance, and fatigue behavior.

    • United States
    • Higher Education
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Teaching Assistant for CS 1112: Introduction to Programming Using MATLAB
      • Aug 2013 - May 2016

      Ithaca, NY Taught students in a weekly one hour discussion about computing using MATLAB. Graded students' projects and exams and provided feedback to improve code. Supervised weekly office hours.

    • Teaching Assistant for MSE 3110: Junior Materials Laboratory
      • Aug 2015 - Nov 2015

      Ithaca, NY Assisted students in completing experiments for the course 'Junior Materials Laboratory'. Introduced students to the basics of MATLAB. Supervised weekly office hours. Instructed students in the use of MATLAB for data analysis.

    • Instructor
      • Aug 2013 - Apr 2016

      Ithaca, NY Lead Instructor for 'Recreational Canoeing' physical education course and Instructor for 'Pool Paddling' physical education course. Taught students proper paddling technique, general canoeing and kayaking skills (portaging, care of boats), and safety awareness. Coordinated with other instructors to plan lessons and develop students' leadership and teamwork skills.

    • Oil and Gas
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Engineering Intern
      • May 2015 - Aug 2015

      Houston, TX Updated materials testing procedures to comply with API testing standards and customer preferences. Analyzed weight, hardness, and volume test data and wrote report on test results. Ground and polished X-65 and alloy 718 samples in preparation for microstructural analysis.

    • Finland
    • Telecommunications
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Hardware R&D Intern
      • Jun 2014 - Aug 2014

      Murray Hill, NJ Developed programs in Tcl that polled hardware manager devices on circuit boards and translated multiple bytes of data into useful information such as voltage and current. Documented program functionalities and distributed Tcl programs for four different devices to hardware engineers with Alcatel-Lucent. Collaborated with engineers to write specific Tcl functions to assist in the development and programming of a new circuit pack.

Education

  • Cornell University
    Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Materials Science and Engineering
    2012 - 2016
  • Hillsborough High School
    High School Diploma
    2008 - 2012

Community

You need to have a working account to view this content. Click here to join now