Work Experience
04/2020-04/2023
VP of Engineering, Nuclein LLC
Nuclein is an Austin startup developing the world’s first sample-to-answer handheld PCR test, initially
targeted for addressing the ongoing COVID-19 test demand.
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Auto-gain/auto-luminance dynamic fluorescence detector design and patent
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Design initial product including development of precision fluorescence detection capability
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Build Engineering team for R&D, FDA compliance, and Product Engineering
President/Owner, Design Systems International, LLC
Product engineering and design consultation services company formed to leverage my ability to generate equity. Pursuing my passion of multi-disciplined engineering design.
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Successful design, demonstration, and production contract for production thermal head controller for AMD worldwide.
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Design, demonstration, and production contract for thermal test vehicle for AMD worldwide.
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Successful design, test, and product design acceptance of commercial laser rangefinder for SilencerCo, LLC, led to acquisition by SilencerCo.
08/2014-04/2020
04/2015-11/2016
VP, SWR (SilencerCo Weapons Research) LLC
SilencerCo, a manufacturer of suppressors for a wide range of firearms, is the US market leader in sales. SWR is a new electro-optics division created through the acquisition of DSI to make commercial electronics catering to shooting sports. (www.beyondhuman.com)
Vice President of SilencerCo Weapons Research (SWR)
Major Accomplishments
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Setup and launch of new division (SWR) including team, facility, development roadmap, budget, and culture.
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14 month development cycle from concept to production start @ 500/mo for inaugural product design with second year production scale to 800/mo ($9.6M/year)
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Development roadmap to deliver four new products to market within first two years of division formation.
VP of Operations, TrackingPoint, Inc.
Major Accomplishments
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Managed recovery of failing organization
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Managed flagship product “Cradle-to-Grave” from prototype to volume production
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Increased production rates 3x within first two months
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Developed and implemented quality and production metrics
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16.7 points of margin improvement to high-volume product
VP of Product Design, TrackingPoint, Inc.
Major Accomplishments
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10 Patent Applications
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8-Month first product development schedule
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7-Month second product development schedule
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Developed manufacturing processes, supplier pipeline, and test requirements
Precision-Guided Firearm Digital Rifle Scope Product Design
Responsible for all Mechanical, Electrical, and Optical Engineering personnel; Product Integration (Systems Engineering), Test, and Prototype Machine Shop. Motivating by example, I work directly with engineering and administrative staff daily. As such, I am the central contact point between groups, integrating all aspects of the product.
Remington Firearms Partnership Project Manager
30MM contract with Remington Firearms; responsible for design, product acceptance and product launch.
Integration of first Precision Guided Firearm
Architected, tested, validated, and productized the entire system platform to work properly to meet design intent. This included ballistics modeling, ammunition development, mechanical design, optical system design, software design, test equipment development and system integration for a complete product design.
10/2011-08/2014
VP of Mfg, Product, & Test Engineering (05/2006-10/2011)
Major Accomplishments
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Continuous yield improvement and cost reductions year-on-year
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Released 10 x86 CPU microprocessors to market in 12 years
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Identified root cause for cache failures saving >>$20MM
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Developed 20KW burn-in test system, saving >>$21MM
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Developed 80KW burn-in test system, saving >$5MM
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Trans-national manufacturing and test operations management / synchronization
Leader of Manufacturing, Product, & Test Engineering (MPE) Division
The MPE division develops the hardware, test programs, and procedures to support over 1MM units per month production of highly integrated x86 microprocessors. I was directly responsible for day-to-day operations for R&D of new products in Austin as well as volume manufacturing of existing products in Taiwan.
Architect and Development of Custom Test Equipment
As existing commercial equipment became insufficient for our products, I became the lead developer of new test equipment for burn-in and system test. These custom tools were highly integrated, more capable than commercially available tools, and saved the company in excess of $30M.
Analysis and Resolution of Cache Failures in Sub-Micron CPU Process
Needing to analyze several GB of data to diagnose the root cause for a >15% yield loss to our flagship product, I developed a cache bitmap analysis program to recognize failure patterns and provide statistical summaries. Combining this tool with analysis of circuit schematic, fab process methods, and product layout lead to the root cause and a fix that improved product operating window and net yield.
Taiwan Liaison
To improve communications and prepare for product introductions, I undertook a 6-month assignment in Taiwan to coordinate the US and Taiwan engineering groups.
05/1999-10/2011
Member of Technical Staff, Reedholm Instruments
Major Accomplishments
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Managed tier-1 customer lines-down communiques and recovery plans
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Setup, installed, and qualified local reliability lab to support Fab-25 bring-up
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First engineer installed as ‘virtually integrated’ QRE to product line
Major Roles and Responsibilities
As the chief engineer with semiconductor product experience, I worked closely with customers and sales personnel to consult on use and benefits of Reedholm equipment for semiconductor test applications. With HP (now Agilent) and Keithley Instruments as primary competitors, this provided a highly challenging and competitive environment.
11/1996-05/1999
Skills
05/1992-11/1996
Senior Quality & Reliability Engineer, AMD
Major Accomplishments
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Managed tier-1 customer lines-down communiques and recovery plans
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Setup, installed, and qualified local reliability lab to support Fab-25 bring-up
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First engineer installed as ‘virtually integrated’ QRE to product line
Major Roles and Responsibilities
As my first job after graduating college, I rose quickly by proving my ability to analyze, understand, and resolve problems ranging from design to fabrication to packaging related issues. Supporting the Communications Product Division (CPD), I was eventually hired by that division to develop new products for Bipolar Subscriber Line Analog Circuit (SLAC) products
Education
Management:
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Collaborative management with Design Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Optical, Software, Test), Manufacturing, Sales, and Marketing for TrackingPoint product launch and volume manufacturing.
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Took over underperforming division (Centaur MPE R&D and TrackingPoint Operations) and turned into highly regarded, highly productive division contributing beyond expectations
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Managed engineering teams supporting hardware design R&D, volume manufacturing methods, production planning, and manufacturing R&D
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Cross-departmental integration of resources for meeting corporate objectives, identifying, highlighting, and resolving gaps in development/manufacturing process
Logistics:
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Balanced planning for booked orders, upside projections, and new product development volumes for fastest time-to-market while minimizing risk.
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Coordination of low-yield, lines-down, and customer return situations to diagnose problems while maintaining reasoned approach and customer relationships
Equipment:
K&S Wire Bonder, HP 83000, Deltaflex Handler, EG Wafer Prober, Parametric Testers, Oscilloscopes, All types of lab equipment
Software:
Solidworks 3D CAD, Matlab, Office Applications, Visio, Visual Studio, C, HTML, LabView, Windows, Linux
Languages:
Semi-fluent in French, Moderate use of Mandarin
BSEE, Louisiana State University
Specialization in Semiconductor Design & Nuclear Engineering