Lead Optical/Laser Systems Engineer

** ****** ****** • HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS *****-3023

PHONE 617-***-**** • FAX 617-***-**** • EMAIL **********@*****.***

CHRISTOPHER DICARLO, PMP®

SUMMARY

A Lead Optical/Laser Systems Engineer with experience in Program Management, Space COMSEC Program Acquisition, leading design efforts of complex systems from microsystems to very large, liquid-cooled, high power laser systems for the DoD/DOE/and Intelligence Communities. Led hardware systems engineering and spacecraft integration in the AF’s Cryptologic Systems COMSEC group. Provided critical technical expertise to the Air Force necessary to develop the next generation of cryptographic devices for national security space systems. Indirectly managed program managers, engineers, scientists, logisticians, and technicians at multiple defense contractors and FFRDCs (Federally Funded Research and Development Centers) for the GPS III/OCX Program.

OBJECTIVE

Knowledgeable and proactive engineer with a broad spectrum of advanced technology, application, and business experience seeking challenging technical or leadership role in innovative advanced technology organization. Intimately familiar with needs and organization of major aerospace and defense government customers and contractors.

SPECIALTIES

EO/IR Systems, Hyperspectral/Multi-Spectral Imaging, Gas/Chemical/Organic-Dye/Solid-State/Semiconductor/ Free Electron/and Fiber Laser Systems, Robotics, UAS, Spacecraft, Microdevices (for Sensor and Night Vision Applications), CBRN (Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear) Detection Systems, ONIR/OPIR, Machine/Computer Vision, Image Processing, Six Sigma (DFSS, DMAIC, & Lean), TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking & Command), Orbital Mechanics, Cryptography, Program & Project Management, Personnel Management

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

10/09–05/10 Oberon Associates, A Stanley Company San Antonio, TX

Space Sensor Data Crypto Engineer – Senior Systems Engineer II

• Provided technical support for the acquisition of encryption/decryption devices for space-to-ground, ground-to-space, and satellite-to-satellite cross link data in CPSG’s Space COMSEC area. Reviewed contractor specifications, designs, test plans and procedures, and test results for accuracy and to ensure proper application of engineering principles. Participated in requirements reviews, design reviews, program management reviews, and technical interchange meetings. Witnessed contractor testing and review and evaluate test data. Conducted special studies and analysis. Conducted engineering assessments/reviews of Requests for Proposal (RFPs). Evaluated Change Proposals (ECPs). Performed technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, risk and supportability and effectiveness analysis for embedded software-intensive crypto systems. Performed and/or oversaw system/product analysis for all project phases to include: requirements, concept, design, fabrication, test, installation, operation and maintenance.

01/09–04/09 BAE Systems Lexington, MA

Senior Systems Engineer (Consultant)

• Led the development and manufacturing of MicroIR® uncooled infrared imaging modules (based on VOx microbolometers) for the IRIS (Infrared Imaging Systems) group, which were integrated into ruggedized, weatherproof camera systems and supported numerous day/night security and surveillance applications for the DoD/MoD/and other NATO allies. Assisted the Chief Architect and Senior Principal Systems Engineer in the management of Systems Engineering and architectures for new business initiatives by providing requirements definition and flow down, writing proposals, trade studies and analyses, cost models, risk mitigation, and FPGA/brass board designs.

12/07–07/08 Northrop Grumman Space Technology Redondo Beach, CA

Mission System Engineer

• Performed systems engineering for government-sponsored programs in market areas, such as: Advanced Concepts, ISR, SATCOM, Missile & Space Defense, Directed Energy Systems (Lasers & KEWS), and Civil Space. Supported the end-to-end concept definition, design, launch, and on-orbit operations of space and ground systems. Responsibilities included definition of mission conops and architectures, performing requirements definition and flow down, trade studies and analyses, simulation and modeling, reliability and safety, integration and test activities, and interface with NGST customers, system end-users, product centers, and technologists.

• Drafted a Technology Roadmap for Directed Energy Systems and planned related IR&D.

• Assisted in the definition of the Mission System Engineering process; reviewed technical products; managed indirect IR&D, training, and PM&P budgets; reviewed program milestones (SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.); contributed, reviewed, and authorized proposal content; supported definition of future concepts in responsive space; and acted as liaison to sector & corporate System Engineering initiatives.

• Solicited, evaluated, proposed, executed, and managed large and small firm fixed price and cost plus government contracts and subcontracts; developed mission concepts (utility & performance analysis, trades, and architecture definition) and system engineering products (requirements, OpsCon, Verification/Test, ICDs) in ISR, Civil Space, Missile Warning, SATCOM, and Directed Energy Systems domain areas; experience with spacecraft bus architectures, technologies, and Payload (EO/IR & RF) integration and management.

• Developed conceptual designs for high performance microsatellite and spacecraft subsystems including: space power systems, advanced miniaturized avionics and lightweight composite structures, to government and commercial customers.

• Developed verification and validation (V&V) procedures of satellite payloads for major programs including AEHF, F6, JWST, and NPOESS for technicians.

04/06–11/07 Textron Defense Systems Wilmington, MA

Laser Systems Engineer

• Managed the design and development of a performance evaluation system for SMDC/JTO’s JHPSSL 100 kW Program, including requirements definition, opto-mechanical design, performance analysis, and integrating diagnostics/controls programming with electro-mechanical, electro-optic, opto-mechanical, and data acquisition hardware.

• Conducted system and subsystem analyses and trades to minimize risks and develop mitigation alternatives as necessary.

• Identified risks to performance, hardware components, schedule, and cost within the framework of the established system architecture.

• Contributed to proposals and white papers for Gas/Chemical/Organic-Dye/Solid-State/Semiconductor/Free Electron/and Fiber Laser Systems.

• Supported senior laser scientists and engineers in the design, analysis, assembly, and testing of laser hardware for various programs including DARPA HELLADS, GE SILEX, and IRADs.

05/06–08/06 Philips – Advanced Metrology Systems, Inc. Natick, MA

Hardware Systems Engineer (Consultant)

• Designed, tested and improved cutting-edge optical metrology equipment used in semiconductor industry. Responsible for identifying and solving design issues in optical equipment comprised of wafer handling robotics, precision motion control, complex optical assembly and software control system. Worked with electrical/mechanical/software engineers, research scientists, and manufacturing engineers to ensure a successful product development from conception to manufacturing transition.

• Ensured all products were designed and tested to comply with domestic and international machine design, safety, and electromagnetic compatibility requirements.

• Managed product design and documentation, engineering department resources to achieve performance targets, and the department budget.

• Traveled domestically and internationally to initiate partnering with potential vendors for our product line.

08/03–04/06 Ion Optics, Inc. Waltham, MA

Research & Development Engineer

• Worked on product development of a new class of infrared MEMS optical CBRNE sensors including housing and opto-mechanical design.

• Designed packaging and mechanical PCB layout for array of high-intensity infrared emitters for military and para-military identification and signaling.

• Designed and performed thermal analysis of a solid-state spectrometer to integrate within a custom drill segment for the Mars Deep Drilling Platform in collaboration with Honeybee Robotics and NASA/JPL.

• Assembled, analyzed, and tested various cryogenic dewars for space-borne sensor applications.

• Utilized 2/3D CAD (AutoCAD/Solid Edge) to create detailed drawings and solid models of design concepts for finite element analysis and production.

• Designed and implemented test and automation fixtures for experimental R&D and volume production as well as developed LabVIEW software for data acquisition.

• Designed, constructed, and executed experiments in infrared absorption spectroscopy, photonic crystal physics, as well as MEMS device and materials characterization.

01/01-05/03 Northeastern University Marine Science Center Boston, MA

Research Assistant

• Assisted in the design and development of a DARPA funded biomimetic lobster, which culminated in an 8-legged ambulatory vehicle that operated in autonomous remote-sensing missions in rivers and/or the littoral zone ocean bottom with robust adaptations to irregular bottom contours, current and surge.

06/01–10/02 Pollak – Actuator Products Division Dorchester, MA

Electro-Mechanical Engineer (Co-Op)

• Developed motorized and solenoid fuel tank selector valves for light and medium duty trucks and recreational vehicles. These products allow the operator of the vehicle to select diesel or gas fuel from multiple tanks via an electrical switch inside the cab. The valves are available as individual components or as kits.

• Designed simple and complex electro-mechanical test fixtures for mounting various automotive actuators using AutoCAD 2002 and I-DEAS.

• Machined, assembled, and completed all testing on actuators as well as documented results in technical reports.

• Created, conducted, and analyzed Design of Experiments (DOE) for Six Sigma Quality Control of New Linear Actuator production.

• Designed electrical connector products and accessories for the Commercial Trucking, Automotive Trailer Tow, Construction, Recreational Vehicle, Marine and Agricultural markets. These products range from single pole connectors capable of 300 amps continuous duty to nine pole connectors for specialized applications. Pollak connectors are designed to provide reliable electrical power from a towing vehicle to the trailer.

• Optimized sound chamber software code using MATLAB and developed LabVIEW VIs for data acquisition.

06/00–01/01 The Gillette Company South Boston, MA

Instrumentation Engineer – Shaving Technology and Research & Development (Co-Op)

• Convinced the Gillette Executive Team to purchase 500M RFID tags from startup Alien Technology, which saved the company over $1.2M.

• Assisted in the design and implementation of customized nanoscale instrumentation for evaluating experimental razor blade performance and Programmed data analysis code for AFM software using MATLAB.

• Reduced cost of scanning electron microscope (SEM) operation by over $500k while tripling the output rate of evaluated blades in the development of an atomic force microscope (AFM).

EDUCATION

08/07–Current University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Graduate Coursework in Optical Sciences

09/99–09/03 Northeastern University Boston, MA

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering w/Minors in Electrical Engineering & Physics

09/93–06/99 Boston Latin School Boston, MA

College Preparatory Curriculum

CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECT – SENIOR DESIGN CONTEST WINNER

12/02–06/03 The Robert Bosch Corporation – Airflow Systems Waltham, MA

Schenck Vibration Fixture Redesign

• Redesigned, prototyped, and implemented a fixture for measuring rotational imbalance in single and dual engine cooling fan assemblies.

• Raised the maximum allowable operational fan testing speed from 1700 to 3300 RPM.

• Reduced the weight of the original fixture from 52 to 17 lbs while maintaining comparable stiffness by selecting alternate material.

• Managed the project from brainstorming through development including personnel as well as budget.

COMPUTER SKILLS

Systems Architecture: DOORS, DoDAF, System Architect

MCAD: UG NX, AutoCAD, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, Inventor, Pro/E

FEA: ANSYS, NASTRAN, PATRAN, COSMOS, ALGOR

Optical System Design: ZEMAX-EE, FRED, CODE V, TracePro

Electronics Design: NI Multisim, OrCAD, PADS, pSPICE

Simulation: MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, STK

Graphical Programming: NI LabVIEW, Agilent VEE Pro, TestPoint

Project Management: MS Project, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Lotus 123

Statistical Analysis: MathCAD, Origin, Minitab, JMP, Maple, NWA Quality Analyst, SAS

Programming: C/C#/C++, Visual Basic, Verilog, TURBO PASCAL, HTML

Operating Systems: UNIX, Linux, VxWorks, Sun OS, All Windows Platforms, MS-DOS, MAC OS

CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING

04/15/10 Fundamentals of Earned Value Management Systems (DAU)

01/10/10 Software Acquisition Management (DAU)

12/30/09 Systems Engineering Management (DAU)

12/24/09 Acquisition Logistics Fundamentals (DAU)

12/19/09 Production, Quality and Manufacturing Fundamentals (DAU)

12/11/09 Basic Information Systems Acquisition (DAU)

12/09/09 Intermediate Systems Acquisition Course (DAU)

12/07/09 Fundamentals of System Planning, Research, Development and Engineering (DAU)

12/03/09 Ethics Training for Acquisition Technology and Logistics (DAU)

12/02/09 Fundamentals of System Acquisition Management (DAU)

06/09 PMI Project Management Professional Certification

04/08 Fundamentals of System Engineering

04/08 Fundamentals of Mission Engineering

02/08 Space Mission Analysis & Design

08/07 UG NX 3 to NX 5 Transition

04/07 Practical Applications of UG NX 4

10/05 NI Certified LabVIEW Developer

08/02 ISO 14001 – Environment Management System Auditor

04/02 DFSS Six Sigma Certified Green Belt

03/02 ISO 9001 – Quality Management System Auditor

09/01 Fundamentals of GD&T (Based on ASME Y14.5M-1994)

HONORS & MEMBERSHIPS

• Active member of SPIE, AIAA, ASME, IEEE, IMAPS, and SOAP (Society of Aerospace Professionals)

• Chairman of the Boston Mensa Society Chapter

• Youngest Engineer hired into Mission System Engineering Department in Northrop Grumman history

• Winner of the Chairman’s Award for Innovation at Textron Defense Systems

• Wrote three winning SBIR Proposals while at Ion Optics, Inc. for DARPA, NSF, and NIH

• Member of Pi Tau Sigma at Northeastern University from 2002-2003

• Held several positions in the Northeastern University ASME Chapter

• Lead Robotics Systems Engineer of the 2001 FIRST Robotics Competition National Champions

INTERESTS AND HOBBIES

Over thirteen years as an active member of Northeastern University and Textron Defense Systems’ FIRST Robotics Competition team, the NU-trons, on which I have designed, developed, and integrated mechanical, electrical, and optical subsystems and acted as a mentor for younger students. I am fluent in German, studied Latin for six years, and speak some Italian as well. Love playing all kinds of sports, going to the beach, spending time with friends, traveling, watching movies, listening to music, and building custom computer systems. Research interests include LIDAR/LADAR, multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, precision optics and opto-mechanics, laser rangefinders, night vision systems, and low to very high power laser design from the visible through the x-ray wavelengths.

*HOLD ACTIVE DOD SECRET CLEARANCE*

REFERENCES WILL BE FURNISHED UPON REQUEST.

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