work experience
university of pennsylvania microfabrication research
  • Postdoctoral researcher under the direction of Prof. Igor Bargatin
    • Developed, microfabricated, and tested thin spacer films for thermionic energy converters
    • Developed model to analyze mechanical stress in light sail during acceleration to relativistic velocities, and fabricated prototype portions of sail for optical and mechanical testing
    • Duration: August 2019 - present
sigay kauyagan teaching and mentoring
  • Engineer and educator
    • Tutored underserved minority students at Mindanao State University (General Santos City) in the Philippines in engineering, mathematics, and science
    • Taught five-week mini-courses (about 7 students per class) on math, scientific writing, and programming
    • Served as member of committee to select scholarship recipients and monitored progress of scholars in program
    • Regularly met with scholarship recipients for academic/personal mentoring
    • Duration: February 2017 - April 2019
sandia national laboratory combustion research
  • Postdoctoral appointee under the direction of Prof. Hope Michelsen (now at the University of Colorado at Boulder)
    • Designed two miniature burners to generated controlled and reproducible flames for use in space-constrained environments
    • Developed X-ray Raman scattering diagnostic for probing incipient soot molecules at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource
    • Designed small angle X-ray scattering diagnostic for examining the size and morphology of mature soot particles at the Lawrence Berkeley Advanced Light Source
    • Duration: July 2014 - December 2016
stanford university combustion research
  • Research assistant to Prof. Ronald K. Hanson
    • Designed, assembled, and characterized shock tube for constrained reaction volume reactive test gas filling
    • Designed shock tube test section for laser-based diagnostic analysis of high temperature and pressure aerosols
    • Duration: April 2009 - July 2014
stanford university graduate housing
  • Community assistant
    • Worked with two other graduate students to organize at least ten quarterly community-building events for 130 graduate students in on-campus housing
    • Member of 7-member team to promote health and wellness among graduate students at Stanford
    • Duration: September 2009 - June 2010
medtronic surgical solutions
  • Mechanical engineering intern
    • Designed test station to determine 100% linear profile of part temperatures using infrared radiation
    • Achieved cycle time reduction of 35%, yielding estimated cost savings of $45,000 annually
    • Duration: June 2009 - September 2009
boston scientific cardiac rhythm management division
  • Mechanical engineering intern
    • Introduced rework into important battery insulation process, saving $368,000 annually
    • Increased required calibration precision by 30%, saving $45,000 annually
    • Established battery insulation cure wait time, saving $3000 annually
    • Duration: July 2008 - September 2008
boston scientific cardiac rhythm management division
  • Manufacturing and process engineering intern
    • Reduced fallout on key circuit manufacturing process from 0.0019 to 0.0000, saving $168,000 annually
    • Designed new fixture to decrease variation in circuit placement in machine by 50% and eliminate fallout, saving $2000 annually
    • Programmed Microsoft Visual Basic macro to catalogue manufacturing data of 178,000 circuits and link fallout to specific part lots
    • Duration: May 2007 - August 2007