Senior Thermal, Electrical, Controls, Simulation, Software Engineer

PAUL HOFFMAN

***** *** **** ****, *********, IL *0423 985-***-**** ***********@*****.***

Energy Efficiency Engineer

Continuous Improvement / Data Base Development / Data Analysis / Systems Automation

Product Design & Engineering / Creative Solutions / Reengineering / Leadership / System Design

I am a skilled engineering professional in engineering systems development for numerous projects including engineering analysis, simulation and design for engine systems with significant experience in project management and team leadership.

Software Skills: I possess over twenty years of successful computer and controls programming applications with C/C++, Matlab/Simulink/Stateflow/MotoHawk, Java, PLC Programming, dSPACE Micro-AutoBox, AutoSAR, DOORS, AGILE, Visual Basic, Excel, Access, and FORTRAN, CANalyzer, Vehicle Spy, Tortoise SVN, GIT, JIRA, Python, Linux.

Electrical Engineering: DC/AC Electronics, Power Electronics, Digital Electronics

Education:

MSME, Stanford University

BSME, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MBA, University of Toledo

Selected Accomplishments

Designed Simulation to facilitate design for increased system productivity and efficiency. John Deere Developed successful integrated simulation of a diesel engine cooling system and industrial tractor using Simulink and KULI (an Engineering Software Tool). This innovative design tool significantly increased capabilities for0 analysis of system performance and engine efficiency. Designed, implemented and tested the Supervisory Control System for a Quad Inverter, Dual Generator, Dual Motor system for a large agricultural combine system. Developed and implemented the Simulink/Stateflow software code. Developed and implemented a transient simulation of the entire agricultural combine system. Integrated the component models of the supervisory control, inverter controller and system, power electronics generators and motors, diesel engine, crop harvesting tool, crop and vehicle loads. Developed and implemented a Graphical User Interface and HIL for the system simulation in Matlab Guide to aid in controls and systems design and development work. Utilized dSPACE Micro-AutoBox and ControlDesk to analyze and test inverter controls for combine system in test cell environment.

Team Leader for Engine Controls and Testing at Teledyne Corporation. Developed detailed transient simulation of gas turbine engine in C/C++ that significantly improved system design and test productivity. Led a team of one controls engineer, two software engineers, five mechanical engineers, one electrical engineer and five technicians and contractors in the successful design of the prototype control for a 50 kW gas turbine engine and the systems testing. Developed test data analysis program automating engineering analysis using Excel. This program reduced the engine system test data reduction time from 12 hours down to 30 minutes, and significantly improved reliability of test analysis through automation and elimination of human calculations.

Project Leader for Integrated Flight and Propulsion Controls design project at GE Aircraft Engines

Worked with team to successfully develop and validate new methodology for decentralized control design of advanced aircraft system and engine through optimization of subsystem components. Developed simulations of integrated nonlinear and linearized state space models of combined engine and airframe with controls in FORTRAN.

Created time-saving system. Project Leader for the specification of PLC based control of industrial gas turbine engine. Proposed and delivered a Graphical User Interface (C/C++ based) that automated setup, simulations, and calculations and reporting. Developed interface and program that produced automated reporting. Increased productivity and reduced labor hours by over 80% for Rolls-Royce gas turbine engine simulation and control design.

Career History

Senior Software Validation Engineer, The Structures Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 7/2026 – Present Created test requirements, test cases and PyTest test procedures for an aircraft Military Avionics Conversion Unit. Tools include IBM DOORS, PyTest, GitLab.

Electric Vehicle Controls Engineer, HP Tuners LLC, 2/2022 – 1/29/2026. Designed Controls System for Three Phase Induction Motor Sensor-less Drive for Electric Vehicle. Designed and Simulated Controls in Matlab/Simulink. Created Simulation of Closed Loop Sensor-less Controls and Electric Vehicle Dynamics with Battery Model in Simulink. Led team for development of DFMEA for Electric Vehicle. Tools include Matlab, Simulink, Stateflow, Git. Leading team in utilizing V-Model for Design and Development of Electric Vehicle Controls. Developed Electric Vehicle Hardware-in-Loop System using dSPACE Scalexio System. Developed simulation of brake system integrated with vehicle simulation. Successfully dynamometer and road tested Electric Vehicle Controls.

Real Time Embedded Software Engineer, Aditi Corporation, Ankeny, Iowa, 4/2021 – 2/2022. Design Real Time Applications for Agricultural Fertilization Machinery. Developed Interlock Logic for Fertilizer/Pesticide Delivery/Reclaim System. Designed and Implemented components for closed loop control of Sprayer system including discrete low pass filter, feed forward control and PID control. Tools include Matlab, Simulink, Stateflow, SVN, Git, Agile Scrum, Rally, Microsoft Visual Studio, C#.

Sr. Embedded Software Engineer, Boeing Corporation, St. Louis, Mo, 7/2020 – 4/2021. Embedded C++ software design, development and testing for aircraft radar and communication systems. Configuration management using GIT, Agile and JIRA.

Sr. Consultant, Industrie Reply, Chicago, IL, 8/2019 – 3/2020. Embedded C++ software design, development and testing for power meter MQTT device communication utilizing the AWS C++ IoT SDK on a Linux based embedded system. Business proposal writing for power industry internet projects. Software programming performed using Ubuntu Linux, Git and GNU C++.

Sr. Controls Engineer, IHI Energy, Chicago, IL, 2/2019 – 6/2019. Control System design, development, analysis, test and software coding for energy storage systems. Prepared Simulink simulation transient analysis for energy storage systems peak shaving and utility system profiles. Developed hardware in the loop models and prepared analysis for energy storage systems using Typhoon-HIL. Utilized Python programming for systems analysis and presentations. Developed Python code for Modbus communication between control modules.

Sr. Embedded Software Engineer, Air International Thermal Systems, Auburn Hills, MI, 9/2018 – 1/2019. Control System design, development, analysis, test and software coding for automotive air conditioning and thermal management systems. Develops controls algorithms utilizing Matlab and Simulink. Utilizes configuration management with Git and JIRA. Conducts bench and test cell testing of control systems for automotive thermal units. Conducts testing and analysis for LIN and CAN communications. Developed HVAC System Blower Driver and Communication System utilizing CAN and Vehicle Spy module. Conducts analysis for Electrical Systems. Prepared Analysis of Controls Software Test for HVAC system. Team participant for Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of Thermal Systems Controls.

Sr. Controls Engineer, LHP Engineering Solutions, Pontiac, MI, 5/2016 –9/2018. Requirements Development for Automotive Industry. Developed and presented system requirements for air conditioning and battery thermal conditioning for hybrid electric vehicles. Provided FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) for air conditioning and battery thermal management systems. Worked with systems controls team for requirements development. Provided mentoring for junior engineers in the area of thermal system management. Software testing for proprietary code.

Sr. Controls Engineer (Contractor), EXB Solutions, Minneapolis, MN, 2/2016 – 4/2016. Control Systems Design and Development for Medical Device Product. Agile team-working for Matlab/Simulink system modeling. Worked with ISO Quality standards.

Sr. Embedded Software Engineer (Contractor), John Deere Power Electronics Solutions, Fargo, ND, 2/2015 – 1/2016. Designed, implemented and tested the Supervisory Control System for a Quad Inverter, Dual Generator, Dual Motor system for a large agricultural combine system. Developed and implemented the Simulink/Stateflow software code. Conducted lab testing of the high voltage, high power prototype system. Software design included Operational state transition logic and J1939 CAN communication. Developed and implemented a transient simulation of the entire agricultural combine system. Integrated the component models of the supervisory control, inverter controller and system, power electronics generators and motors, diesel engine, crop harvesting tool, crop and vehicle loads. Developed and implemented a Graphical User Interface and HIL for the system simulation in Matlab Guide to aid in controls and systems design and development work. Utilized dSPACE Micro-AutoBox and ControlDesk to analyze and test inverter controls for combine system in test cell environment. Worked with Software design team to implement Controller using AutoSAR. Developed and implemented field data input system for agricultural combine simulation.

Controls Engineer, GE (Contractor), Erie, PA, 9/2014 –2/2015.

Control system design, development and test for railroad locomotives. Conducted throttle and speed transient tests for customer locomotive engines. Conducted data analysis for fuel metering valve study for customer locomotive engines. Created Matlab graphical user interface (GUI) which significantly improved efficiency of data analysis and presentations of locomotive engine data.

Lead Controls Engineer (Contractor), Vericor Power Systems, Alpharetta, GA, 2/2014 – 9/2014.

Developed detailed, transient models of aero-derivative 5 kW gas turbine engine for marine and oil and gas industries using Simulink. Updated controls logic for marine applications. Provided design updates for Hardware-in-Loop simulator and graphical user interface for marine gas turbine engine control system design. Reviewed design specifications, contract statements of work, and facilitated purchasing documents for sub-contractor development of the HIL and GUI.

Senior Systems/Software Engineer, Odyne Systems LLC, Waukesha, WI 5/2013 – 2/2014.

Created detailed, full system model of diesel engine based, hybrid electric vehicle system including truck drive line, battery and control, charging system and transmission and control using Simulink and Simscape. Developed control algorithms and software for diesel based hybrid electric vehicles using Simulink, Stateflow, MotoHawk and CAN communication software tools. Lead engineer for software implementation and dynamic system model development for hybrid electric vehicle work trucks. Programmed control algorithms and communication logic in C++. Algorithms included vehicle / engine integration and communication, CAN messaging, speed control, temperature control, electrical power take-off systems, battery charging and management. On vehicle testing of controls on work truck systems. Prepared and presented design reviews to management and customers. Worked with system and component designers to provide detailed control system design and hybrid electric vehicle system integration. Developed transient model of diesel engine based hybrid electric vehicle.

Senior Systems Analyst, Woodward Corporation, Rockford, Illinois 5/2012 to 5/2013.

Develops transient, detailed models for aircraft control fuel metering units using Matlab and Simulink. Prepares and presents design reviews to management and customers. Works with system and component designers to provide detailed designs and specifications of fuel metering unit components.

Lead Controls Engineer (Contractor), Rolls-Royce Corporation, Indianapolis, Indiana 8/2010 to 5/2012.

Project Leader for the specification of PLC based control of industrial gas turbine engine. Developed graphical user interface computer programs to automate Simulink transient analysis of FADEC controls for helicopter gas turbine engines. These programs significantly increased engineering design productivity of the automated simulation of the helicopter gas turbine engine control systems for various flight conditions and operating scenarios. Developed efficient Matlab scripts for both time and frequency domain analysis of the integrated gas turbine engine and FADEC controls system. Gas turbine engine and controls modeling for large naval marine ship vessels utilizing Matlab and Simulink. Prepared several control systems requirements for industrial energy gas turbine controls.

Controls Engineer (Contractor), John Deere, Waterloo, Iowa, 3/2010 – 7/2010.

Provided expert analysis and consultation for diesel engine models, air path controls, and emissions control techniques. Developed successful integrated simulation of a diesel engine cooling system and industrial tractor. This innovative design tool significantly increased capabilities for analysis of system performance and engine efficiency.

Senior Controls Engineer, SustainX, LLC, West Lebanon, NH, 9/2009 to 3/2010.

Designed and simulated real-time hydraulic motor controls system in the compressed air energy sector. Provided control systems information for preparation of proposal, winning $5.4M in energy grant money. Conducted operations and maintenance engineering for wind turbine power generation equipment.

Senior Controls Engineer, Acciona Energy, Chicago, Illinois 8/2009 to 9/2009.

Developed Microsoft Excel, Word, and Access macros to automate the operability, reliability, and financial reports for the North American wind farm operations of the firm. Conducted availability analysis for wind farms to aid in financial operations. Conducted reliability and maintenance studies for wind farms under various weather and operation conditions. Conducted operations and maintenance engineering for wind turbine power generation equipment.

Senior Controls Engineer, Caterpillar Corporation, Peoria, Illinois 8/2008 to 8/2009.

Simulink, Stateflow analysis of hydraulic operation of small load tractor. Provided presentations to engineering audience and management.

Senior Project Engineer, Navistar Corporation, Melrose, Illinois, 8/2006 to 8/2007

Managed design/analysis for diesel engine control systems. Managing and performing advanced controls in several projects including Model Based Air Path Control of a Turbocharged Diesel Engine with Exhaust Gas Recirculation. Other projects include control system analysis, design, implementation and test for Lean NOx Catalyst control, and Hybrid Electric Vehicle diesel engine control. Designed and analyzed diesel engine control systems and simulations using SIMULINK. Project manager with responsibilities including: project planning, task management, engine testing, test cell setup, engine test planning, electronic equipment design, and directing of engineer and technician work, management reporting and team mentoring. Directed and worked with third party supplier to design, implement and test controls.

Senior Engineer, Belcan Corporation, Blue Ash, Ohio 1/2004 to 8/2006.

Managed five and $500K budget. Gas turbine engine controls analysis and design. Team leader for group of five engineers conducting transient systems analysis for large commercial gas turbine engines. Analysis and design includes gas turbine engine system simulation, control analysis, and regulator design, using Matlab and Simulink. Responsible for team leadership, development, hiring, project and program management, customer interface, and reporting to management. Transient simulation and analysis of medium gas turbine engines.

Chief Engineer, Controls Research, Inc., Slidell, Louisiana 2/2003-1/2004

Developed software design of a control / maintenance / diagnostic system in Java for a marine diesel engine for a Navy unmanned sea surface vehicle. This system included a real time computer simulation of the operation and control of a turbocharged, marine diesel engine, and a diagnostic system to provide accurate detection of sensor and engine faults. Provided written and oral presentation of progress and final results to Navy.

Senior Controls Engineer, Petrotech, Inc., Belle Chasse, Louisiana 2/2002-2/2003

Developed, implemented and tested control systems designs, algorithms and logic for Allen-Bradley based Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) for large gas turbine engines for the oil and natural gas industry. Designed and implemented controls logic for sensor and actuators communicating with PLC base controllers and Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs).

Product Design Engineer, Visteon Corporation, Dearborn, Michigan, 6/1998 to 1/2002.

Designed, developed and tested Controller for Natural Gas Reformer System. Process auto-sequence startup and shutdown control, with manual override and emergency shutdown. Temperature, natural gas flow, air flow, stoichiometric ratio, and steam to carbon ratio PID controls. Architectural design of control system from systems requirements to initial concept to implementation. Created system requirements in DOORS. Designed and implemented control utilizing MATLAB, SIMULINK, and STATEFLOW. Validated control design with actual testing of reformer system. Developed first prototype controller for power inverter for residential power generator project. Led design from concept to software and hardware implementation to prototype design. Design included AC voltage and current control, sensor acquisition and diagnostics. Developed software code and hardware implementation for digital signal processor (DSP) design of the control, using embedded C/C++. Prepared systems requirements, design, interconnection documents and diagrams, test plans and reports, and product manual.

Senior Controls Engineer - Gas Turbine Engine Controls, Teledyne Corporation, Toledo, Ohio 4/1996 to 6/1998

Designed, developed, and tested electronic control system in C/C++ for 50 kW gas turbine engine for Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Developed controls integration for gas turbine engine and permanent magnet starter generator. Created detailed transient simulation in C/C++ of gas turbine engine and control system that proved very valuable in significantly reducing development time and predicting system scenarios. Worked with third party supplier to design, implement and test controls.

Technical Specialist - Control Systems, Cummins Engine Company, Columbus, Ohio 7/1991 to 4/199

Designed, developed and tested controller for spark, ignited internal combustion engine. Developed control technique to reduce emissions on compressor boosted engines and provide tight stoichiometric ratio control, utilizing Kalman filter observer control. Designed, developed, and tested control algorithms using embedded C language for diesel engine speed control and power take off systems. Conducted FMEAs for high power diesel engine systems and components including actuators and sensors.

Control Analysis Engineer, General Electric Company - Aircraft Engines, Evendale, Ohio 1/1984 to 6/1991

Designed, developed and tested controls for advanced military aircraft engines using FORTRAN. Multivariable (MIMO), nonlinear control of engine systems including: dual turbine speeds, turbine temperature, variable bypass areas, exhaust nozzle area. Developed detailed transient simulations for advanced military aircraft engines, and utilized them in control design. Developed detailed transient simulation for the integration of engine and aircraft flight controls. Coordinated work efforts with subcontract team of highly advanced controls engineers for the decentralized control design of an integrated flight and propulsion system. Successfully validated linearized state space design with non-linear simulation. Worked with third party supplier to design, implement and test controls.

Westinghouse Electric Company - Advanced Energy Systems Madison, Pennsylvania 1/1981 to 12/1983

Thermal - Hydraulics Engineer: Conducted several heat transfer, fluid flow, and energy transfer analysis on liquid sodium to boiling water, heat transfer, steam generator design using FORTRAN. Developed analytical technique to aid in wear predictions and selection of materials used in cyclone separator for coal gasification project for developing synthetic fuel.

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