TECHNICAL LEAD – Aerospace & Defense April 2020 – Present
NHANCE Dynamics, Ahmedabad, India
- Designed and Architected Autonomous Ground Vehicles for Defence applications
- Led a small multi-disciplinary team in Electrical, Mechanical, Software and Firmware Engineering
- Created roadmap for development of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) as per given requirements
- Developed sensor fusion algorithm using IR sensors, IMU, Laser Range Finders, Vision Camera, RFIDs etc.
- Developed vehicle position control system interfacing PMDC/BLDC motors, drivers, and speed encoders
- Responsible for Designing, Developing, Field-Testing, Validating and Production hand-over
- Carried out DFT, DFM as well as other quality and certification IVVQ processes
- Developed control algorithms for autonomous driving with collision avoidance mechanism
- Participated in component selection, vendor evaluation, co-production partner evaluation and similar
ELECTRICAL AUTOMATION SPECIALIST – Aerospace & Defense Oct 2016 – Jan 2020
L3 Harris, Burlington, Canada
- Designed and developed hardware/software co-design for automated functional testing of airborne systems
- Led and managed projects on development of electrical hardware as per customer requirements
- Worked Digital Comms Link for mission-critical video feeds from fixed and rotary-wing airborne systems
- Delivered end-to-end solutions to meet both, internal and external customer needs while working effectively with both internal and external stakeholders
- Developed new designs right from specifications to solutions, manage existing designs without supervision
- Created System Diagrams, Design documentation and Bills of Materials for traceability and support
- Responsible for independently planning, designing, and implementing IVVQ systems and sub-systems
- Represented Electrical Automation team at inter-disciplinary New Product Introduction (NPI) meetings
- Engaged with R&D, Engineering, Systems, Projects, and Product support team(s) for NPI activities
- As a member of the NPI team, worked on a wide range of projects and programs
- Effectively managed time to deliver all tasks in an accurate, timely, budget-compliant, and complete manner
- Proposed & led initiatives to standardize practices and automation to help drive improvement and efficiency
- Proposed novel solutions to reduce time, cost, and issues, as a part of a continuous improvement approach
- Proactively supported other departments like Systems, Manufacturing, Test & Integration etc. as required
- Kept all information and records updated on the company MRP systems (Team Center) for easy access
- Lead & supported both outsourcing of engineering services & supplier management activities as required
- Responsible for the development, evolution, and support of a range of L3 products
- Mentored, supported, and developed team of junior members
TEST ENGINEERING SPECIALIST – Aerospace & Defense (Contract) Nov 2015 – Apr 2016
Honeywell Aerospace/Celestica, Toronto, Canada
- Carry out in-circuit testing for aerospace hardware, report failures, errors, non-conformance
- Test hardware for voltage, current, open, short, power, analog, digital, JTAG, boundary-scan, test-jets
- Trouble-shoot automated machine fixtures and debug scripts for test bench with test cases
- Perform functional testing for key aircraft systems and troubleshoot internal components of systems
- Maintain safe, secure, and healthy work environment by following standards and procedures
- Document bug reports and next actions by completing forms, reports, logs, and records
- Maintain test fixtures and improve test coverage on sustaining fixtures
- Work with other members of Manufacturing Engineering to improve existing processes
- Certified for IPC-610, ITAR, AS9100, ESD, MSD, ISO/TL, CGP
TECHNICAL DESIGN LEAD – Control Systems
NTICE Technologies, Ahmedabad, India
July 2008 – June 2015
- Efficiently managed a small team working on technical development of complex engineering projects
- Executed multiple projects on design of control systems using GPUs like Microcontrollers, Embedded Processors, CPLD, FPGA, interfacing proximity, temperature, pressure, level, motion, acceleration sensors with peripherals like ADC/DAC, Op-Amps, signal conditioning, memory chips using industry standard interfaces like RS-232, RS-485, USB, I2C, SPI, 4-20mA, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, GSM/GPRS, GPS, Bluetooth and ZigBee
- Led a multi-disciplinary team of hardware/Software/Firmware and Mechanical engineers for product development process right from client requirement capture, technical specifications mapping, system design, modelling, analysis, board bring-up, test & validation up to production hand-over
- Designed electronic circuits, components, systems and equipment from detailed designs and performed circuit design analysis and traceability from client requirements to final production
- Created extensive customised microcontroller firmware codes in Embedded-C using AVR/CC Studio& MPLAB
- Conducted reviews for Design to Cost, Design for Manufacturability, Testability and Fail-Safe analysis
- Integrated hardware into customers embedded system environment at customer sites
- Debugged and troubleshoot hardware circuits and led board prototyping activities like schematic, PCB
- layout, PCB manufacturing, electrical testing, assembly, functional testing and field testing
- Led the hardware & firmware teams for test, bring-up and debugging of embedded systems
- Diagnosed and rectified issues related to Firmware, Software, Hardware and Mechanical integration
- Interfaced with clients for specification negotiations to design scope validation on completion
- Interfaced with vendors for components, PCB proto, EMI/EMC test facilities, and supply chain
- Managed design defects, debugging, troubleshooting and field maintenance activities for clients
- Negotiated project – functional and technical specifications with customer for 8+ projects
- Participated in design, implementation and design reviews (PDR, CDR and PRR) to ensure DFT requirements
- Developed test fixture requirements for outsourced projects and manage vendors and subcontractors
- Assisted in conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions for production issues
- Provided production support to mitigate risks, supplier issues and manage production schedule for clients
- Developed tech. documentation for specs, block level designs, assembly & wiring diagrams for production
- Defined best practices for HW/FW design re-use to reduce development cycle time by 25%
- Demonstrated ability to accurately ‘design-to-cost’ and ‘design-to-requirements’
Research Assistant – Space and Defence Dec 2004 – March 2008
Infolab Research Centre, Lancaster University, UK
- Carried out research projects for design of wireless systems for Military & Space applications
- Designed variable-rate coded-modulator for DVB-T2 standard in collaboration with BBC Research
- Developed specifications for broadband multimedia hardware for TETRA Mobile Standard, ETSI funded project in collaboration with SEPURA Radio (UK), THALES (France)and SELEX Communications (Spain)
- Developed a HF based wireless communications system for Military applications (HW Communications, UK)
- Designed and simulated Advance Digital Communications Systems for Deep-Space Communication in collaboration with ESTEC (ESA), HW Communications (UK) and SELEX Communications (Spain) funded by EU
- Carried out extensive Communications System simulations and modelling using MATLAB and SIMULINK
- Carried out implementation of various signal processing and communications blocks on FPGA and DSP
- Gained experience in organising, planning, and engaging a multi-stakeholder team to achieve desired results
- Conducted presentations at stakeholders’ level
