Brandon Kirby Email and Phone Number

Manage tactical day to day activities of an engineering team, with up to six direct reports, comprised of product development, estimating, and manufacturing engineers. Assist with development and implementation of strategic direction for engineering team. Conduct review of new product development opportunities. Serve as a mentor to younger engineers, with focus on helping team members think of and strive for long-term goals. Serve Senior Design Engineer responsibilities through leadership and execution of NPI efforts and review of designs, drawing packages, qualification reports, and test results.

Leadership and support of NPI (qualification), sustaining, legacy, and manufacturing efforts. Ownership of and accountability for the ECN process. Support ISO 9001/AS 9100 compliance, and review of new opportunities. Lead root cause efforts for field issues, as part of the RMA process. Responsibility for production assembly and test processes and equipment.

Senior member of the design engineering team. Provided guidance, mentoring, and coaching to engineers and CAD designers. Lead and supported development of NPI, quality improvement, and VAVE efforts. Managed engineering change request process. Served key role in development of new refueling nozzle, US Patent USD898869S1. Served as facility lead for UL, CARB, and ATEX compliance. Developed new refueling nozzle endurance test equipment design

Mechanical design (stress, fatigue, life), steady state and transient heat transfer, stack-up analysis. 2D and 3D thermal and structural FEA using Ansys Classic, Ansys Workbench, and MSC Patran. Heat transfer lead on test fixture development effort. Training and experience with GD&T.

Served as project management and lead project engineer on multiple SBIR (small business innovation research) efforts. Developed system prototypes including morphing wing structures, adaptive acoustic liners, shape memory polymer composite activation systems, thermal storage systems, and smart fastening systems. Structural analysis, thermal analysis, topology optimization, and parametric trade studies using custom scripts. Design, analysis, and fabrication of fiber reinforced polymer composite materials. Co-Inventor on 4 US patents (US8356727, US8395093, US8668110, US8678324).

Detailed combustor cooling design and analysis for developmental medium and small commercial gas turbine engines using P/Thermal, MSC Patran, and Ansys. Perform heat transfer cooling trade studies using 1D using custom GE Excel-based analysis tool. Regularly communicate with internal customers through technical presentations and reviews. Received “GE Aviation Bronze Award” in response to successful combustor design reviews. Completed jet engine teardown school (JETS)

Leadership of and participation in detailed design efforts, coordination of prototype rocket motor fabrication and assembly, and conducting prototype rocket motor testing. Design of new tactical rocket motors. Insulation sizing and thermal analysis using in-house, proprietary analysis code. Support and lead failure root cause studies.

Served multiple roles including assistant project leader, design team member, mentor to new research engineers and research associates. Technology focus areas including propulsion systems, advanced aerospace systems, advanced composite materials, and smart materials. Structural and thermal finite element analysis of different product designs. Design of insensitive munitions compliant rocket motor components.

Served multiple roles including design team member and mentor to new research associates. Technology focus areas including advanced aerospace systems, advanced composite materials, and smart materials. Structural and thermal finite element analysis of different product designs.