Audio Software Architect - Power and Performance
Apple · Full-time
Jul 2020 - Present
• 3 yrs 11 mosPostdoctoral Research Scientist
University of Colorado Boulder · Full-time
Oct 2017 - Jul 2020
• 2 yrs 10 mosPostdoctoral engineer and research scientist
Lightning, Atmosphere, Ionosphere and Radiation Belt (LAIR) lab, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR), Dept. of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
My role in the LAIR is interdisciplinary: I spend my time performing hardware and electronics design for CubeSats and sensors, writing parallel numerical simulations, and serving as a mentor for our graduate students. All of our projects revolve around atmospheric electricity -- specifically, the study of VLF radio waves, which are generated from terrestrial lightning discharges, and how they interact with the Earth's ionosphere and radiation belts.
Most recently, I've written ground support software for AFRL's VPM CubeSat, which launched in December, and is awaiting deployment from the International Space Station. I was integral to this satellite's development, having designed the onboard data processing system beginning with my Master's degree.
Following on my doctoral thesis, I work on refining and upgrading ray-tracing and resonant particle scattering simulation software, which will be used in conjunction with VPM data to study a high-energy radiation belt loss mechanism known as resonant energetic particle precipitation.
Other projects have included the design and manufacture of an Electric Field Mill sensor. An array of 8 of these instruments were deployed around Cordoba, Argentina, in October 2018, as part of the NSF RELAMPAGO campaign.
Researcher Phd Candidate
Stanford University · Full-time
Oct 2011 - Jun 2018
• 6 yrs 9 mosI worked for two different labs during graduate school:
- The VLF group, in the EE department (https://vlf.stanford.edu/)
- The Space Environment + Satellite Systems (SESS) group, in the AA department (http://sess.stanford.edu/)
During my time as a graduate student, I worked on several hardware and software projects. I was part of the payload development team for a CubeSat, which allowed me significant hands-on experience developing analog and digital circuits. I lead the design of the onboard Data Processing Unit, which was built around a pair of radiation-hardened FPGAs and coded using Verilog. I've continued to support this design through my postdoc, and have a deep understanding of the sensor, from the plasma physics involved in antenna coupling, all the way through signal conditioning, digitization, and reduction / calibration.
My doctoral work was a numerical simulation of Lightning-Induced Electron Precipitation (LEP), a multi-step phenomenon through which lightning flashes on the Earth's surface can cause small numbers of radiation belt electrons to impinge into the Earth's neutral atmosphere. LEP has long been theorized to be an important loss process for the Van Allen belts, and is often mentioned as a natural driver of the "slot" region -- a depletion of electrons between the inner and outer Van Allen belts.
Throughout my doctoral research, I wrote extensive numerical simulations in C/C++, Fortran, and Python, running on a 26-node compute cluster using MPI and Torque.
My thesis resulted in a map of magnetospheric electron lifetimes, as a function of location and energy, subjected to global lightning activity as the only loss mechanism. Ultimately we found that, while LEP may play a role in the slot region, the effect is more prominent at lower energies, and at lower altitudes, than previously theorized.
Recording Engineer
Avast! Recording · Full-time
Avast! is a commercial audio recording studio, and a staple of the Seattle independent music community. Recording studios are small, tight-knit, multidisciplinary businesses; I was one of a handful of staff recording engineers. I played many roles, from recording local bands, including indie rock artists, jazz and concert bands, as well as performing equipment installation and maintenance required to keep a largely analog, 1970s-era studio operating, and periodically did scheduling and billing tasks. Some notable projects from Avast which I contributed to are Harvey Danger, Band of Horses, Visqueen, and Bill Frisell.
Recording Engineer
Robert Lang Studios · Full-time
I began working at Robert Lang's first as a studio intern, and soon as a staff recording engineer. Robert Lang's is a flagship recording facility built around a large, underground, stone room, with an SSL-4000G console, 24-track tape deck, and a full Pro Tools rig. As a staff engineer, I recorded and produced local bands, and assisted visiting producers and engineers on larger projects, which spanned from a few days to a few months. I worked on projects for several notable artists, including Death Cab for Cutie, Harvey Danger, Portugal. the Man, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Sparta, the Blood Brothers, and Peter Frampton.