Nicholas Lai

Validated vehicle crashworthiness under extreme load cases using Ansys Mechanical, keeping frame deformation of 5cm, 50% under the 10cm limit. Direct a 10-engineer team through rapid prototyping, trade studies, and fabrication;

Chief Engineer - CSULB ASME eHPVC Team - Long Beach, CA

(2026-06)

• Validated vehicle crashworthiness under extreme load cases using Ansys Mechanical, keeping frame deformation of 5cm, 50% under the 10cm limit.
• Direct a 10-engineer team through rapid prototyping, trade studies, and fabrication;

Lead Systems Integration Engineer - CSULB ASME eHPVC Team - Long Beach, CA

(2025-11 - 2026-06)

• Integrated full electrical architecture (motor, battery pack, microcontroller, harness) with the chassis, eliminating hardware assembly failures.
• Reduced component approval times by 60% (5 days to 2) across two subsystems by building a centralized SysML v2 model in CATIA No Magic Cameo.
• Direct a 15-engineer team through rapid prototyping, trade studies, and fabrication, with a 13/26 finish.;

Undergraduate Researcher - Student Project Research Team, CSULB

(2026-10)

• Performed thermal analysis of heat pipes, building analytical models to estimate capillary pumping power, evaporation rates, and working-fluid inventory; reviewed literature on capillary transport in sharp-corner geometries
• Developed CAD models of a 7-meter heat pipe and deployable radiator assembly; analyzed hinge deployment torque and vane open/close behavior using SolidWorks

Patient Transporter - California Hospital Medical Center - Los Angeles, CA

(2025-09)

• Demonstrated strong interpersonal communication and organizational skills while managing high-volume logistics and emergency patient transport under high-stress clinical conditions.

Bachelor of Science - Mechanical Engineering - California State University, Long Beach (2028-05)