Automotive Engineer

Automotive Engineer — Valo Motors

Detroit, MI | January 2023 – Present

• Led the mechanical design of a next-generation EV thermal management plate, reducing peak lithium-ion battery cell temperature fluctuations by 22% and improving heat dissipation efficiency by 15% under high-load testing protocols.
• Conducted systematic DFMEA on steering and suspension system designs for 2 new electric vehicle platforms, identifying and resolving 18 critical failure modes prior to physical tooling phase, saving $140,000 in re-engineering costs.
• Optimized high-voltage battery enclosure structural integrity using ANSYS FEA simulations, reducing total enclosure mass by 12% ($45 saved per unit) while maintaining full alignment with FMVSS 305 crashworthiness safety regulations.
• Collaborated with a cross-functional assembly engineering team of 8 to integrate automated fastening systems, lowering powertrain subsystem production cycle times by 18% and reducing factory-floor defect rates by 14%.

Associate Powertrain Engineer — Zenith Powertrain Systems

Ann Arbor, MI | June 2020 – December 2022

• Designed drivetrain mounting brackets and transmission housing components using CATIA V5, successfully reducing component weight by 9% while increasing structural torsional stiffness by 14% to improve overall ride refinement.
• Developed and validated MATLAB/Simulink models for powertrain torque control algorithms, decreasing simulation-to-hardware calibration error rates from 8% to 1.5% and accelerating physical test track validation timelines.
• Coordinated physical shaker-table durability testing for 14 structural prototype variants, identifying key design vulnerabilities and accelerating validation sign-off milestones by 3 weeks over a 6-month product cycle.
• Applied ASME Y14.5 Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) principles to generate manufacturing drawings, reducing component assembly fitment issues and associated factory floor rework costs by 27%.

CATIA V5, SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS Structural, MATLAB, Simulink, DFMEA, GD&T, FMVSS standards, Vehicle dynamics, Thermal management, Durango shaker testing, CANalyzer

Modular EV Battery Pack Structural Optimization

Role: Lead Powertrain Designer

Tools: CATIA V5, ANSYS Fluent, MATLAB, DFMEA

Engineered a modular battery housing layout that reduced manufacturing tooling costs by 18% ($120,000 saved) and improved gravimetric energy density by 11%.

Active Aerodynamic Grille Control System

Role: Controls & Vehicle Dynamics Specialist

Tools: Simulink, dSPACE, CANalyzer, GD&T

Designed active aerodynamic shutter controls, reducing vehicle drag coefficient by 6% and increasing estimated battery range by 3.5%.

• ASME Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing Professional (GDTP) - Technologist (2022)
• SAE International Vehicle Dynamics Certificate (2021)

• Languages: English (Native), German (Conversational)
• Volunteer Work: Mentored Kettering University Formula SAE collegiate design team (2021–present)
• Availability: Standard 2 weeks notice