EXPERIENCE
GRADIENT COMFORT
San Francisco, California
Senior Mechanical Engineer
March 2022 - March 2025
Developed the All-Weather 120V Window Heat Pump from concept to production
Led the early development of the project, including defining the installation process and mechanism, product requirements, and definition of system dimension
Worked cross-functionally with the Thermal, Electrical, and Product teams to define sub-system layouts, part requirements, and OEM component selection and integration.
Owned the design of the Indoor Unit through three prototype builds, EVT, DVT, and PVT. This included the development of 16 unique plastic parts, 6 sheet metal parts, die cut and expanded foams, management of 5 sub-systems, and the development of a custom UI.
Conducted DFM with overseas suppliers on all custom components in the Indoor system, produced drawings for all parts, managed part releases, and performed FAI & CPK dispositions.
Traveled to China to validate our tooled parts and supported the manufacturing bring-up of the product from EVT to production at our contract manufacturer in India
Conducted prototype builds in our San Francisco site, creating work instructions, recording assembly issues and product concerns in our Major Issues List) and developing testing to meet our Product Requirement Document
Monitored feedback from our Alpha and Beta testers, implementing changes post release in our product.
SPANNER PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Silicon Valley, California
Product Designer
February 2021 - Present
Developed products ranging from consumer electronics to telecommunications equipment, engaging in concept generation, architecture definition, and detailed design
Maintained model and drawing libraries across multiple projects
Managed prototype builds and testing to assess product functionality, use, and appearance
DYSON
Hullavington, United Kingdom
Design Engineer
January 2020 - July 2020
Volunteered double hours overtime to bring the CoVent ventilator project from initial concept to viable design in 30 days, at the request of the UK government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Lead product sub-assembly design including; prototype builds, specification generation, design for assembly and manufacture, DFMEA ownership and testing
Ownership of test rig concept and construction across multiple projects within Environmental Care category
Project Acknowledgment Links:
BIOFORCETECH
Milan, Italy
Mechanical Design Engineer
February 2018 - November 2019
Performed structural and mechanical design for industrial waste management and biochar production system valued at over $300,000
Oversaw the development of part-assembly hierarchies company wide and established methods of production and assembly
Project Acknowledgment Links:
BURN MANUFACTURING and BURN DESIGN LAB
Nairobi, Kenya and Vashon, Washington
Product Design Engineer
January 2015 - September 2017
Led the design of the Kuniokoa (Kuni = Wood, Okoa = Save) from early development through to production
Improved stove efficiency, emissions, and durability through the application of combustion and heat transfer concepts
Simplified the stove’s assembly through iterative designs, reducing production costs
Developed the stove’s aesthetic appearance and usability, creating a positive user experience
Performed market research focus groups and home placements in rural Kenya to better understand user cooking techniques and gather relevant data for product improvement, sales, and marketing
Produced part drawings to be sent out to manufacturers for tooling quotes
Developed jigs, fixtures, and part tooling for the fabrication and assembly of the stove in Kenya
Launched the Kuniokoa cookstove project
Led the production ramp up and developed assembly line layouts and processes
Implemented and maintained product tooling, jigs, and fixtures
Interfaced with sales and marketing on performance benchmarks, innovative features, and key selling points on the stove
Led auxiliary design engineering objectives within the company
Institutional Wood Stove project
Grill Attachment project
Fan powered Kuniokoa
Fabricated over 200 stoves for prototyping, market research, and durability and laboratory testing
Developed and conducted tests on products that allow us to analyze performance in a number of metrics
Collaborated with a team from the University of Washington on experimental models to further the field of cookstove research
Project Acknowledgment Links:
UN Foundation - in-depth profile of the impact the Kuniokoa has on the lives of women in Kenya
Acumen - a case study on the partnership between Acumen, Unilever, and Burn Manufacturing detailing the successes and lessons learned in developing the Kuniokoa
Clean Cooking Alliance - a research paper conducted by Berkeley Air Monitoring Group on the impact of clean cooking on time use
EDUCATION
POLITECNICO DI MILANO,
Milan, IT
MS Design and Engineering
August 2017 - December 2019
THESIS: Design of a Wood Burning Cookstove for Production and Use in Guatemala
CORNELL UNIVERSITY,
Ithaca NY
BS Mechanical Engineering
August 2010 - May 2014
Skills
SOFTWARE
Solidworks: mechanical design, product design, sheet metal, FEM analysis, technical drawings
~6000 hours
NX: synchronous modeling, flex design, sheet metal, technical drawings
~1500 hours
Teamcenter: PLM, specification management
~250 hours
Onshape: mechanical design, product design, sheet metal, technical drawings
~1200 hours
MATLAB: mathematical modeling of physical systems
~ 400 hours
FABRICATION/PROTOTYPING
Sheet Metal Forming ~600 hours
Mill ~500 hours
Lathe ~150 hours
Welding: TIG ~30 hours
Tooling design: production and prototyping level design ~300 hours
ARTISTIC
Sketching, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop