Sameer Verma

Engineered a low-cost (~$140) custom strain measurement system for rotating detonation engine testing, reducing instrumentation cost by ~98% versus a ~$10,000 conventional system. Performed modal FEA in SolidWorks to predict combustor natural frequencies and expected FFT peak locations prior to accelerometer testing. Designed, assembled, and soldered a thermocouple signal-conditioning circuit using an AD8421 instrumentation amplifier, providing ~166x gain (41 µV/°C to 6.8 mV/°C) for combustion diagnostics.

Research Assistant at Gas Dynamics and Propulsion Laboratory, University of Cincinnati (2026-05 – Present)

• Engineered a low-cost (~$140) custom strain measurement system for rotating detonation engine testing, reducing instrumentation cost by ~98% versus a ~$10,000 conventional system.
• Performed modal FEA in SolidWorks to predict combustor natural frequencies and expected FFT peak locations prior to accelerometer testing.
• Designed, assembled, and soldered a thermocouple signal-conditioning circuit using an AD8421 instrumentation amplifier, providing ~166x gain (41 µV/°C to 6.8 mV/°C) for combustion diagnostics.
• Built a Python pipeline to convert 1 MHz strain-gauge data to microstrain, apply a Chebyshev Type II low-pass filter, and perform time-frequency spectrogram analysis to interpret combustor structural frequencies and correlate strain response with chamber pressure during post-test review of RDE firing data.
• Diagnosed and mitigated signal-to-noise and EMI issues in the strain measurement chain through iterative improvements to shielding, grounding, amplifier placement, wiring, and high-temperature gauge bonding.

Manufacturing & Quality Intern at Guerbet (2025-08 – 2025-12)

• Tested and validated OptiStar injector assemblies, troubleshooting zeroing calibration and volume discrepancy issues to ensure proper operation.
• Identified and investigated a software-driven volume discrepancy issue using LabVIEW, helping engineers analyze root causes faster by 50% and confirm correct mechanical–software interaction during validation.

BS in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Mathematics – University of Cincinnati (2029-05)