Brian Liang Email & Phone Number

Devens, Massachusetts, United States

Atlanta, GA

• Designed bio-inspired underwater robots that use piezoelectric composites for locomotion, advancing thecapabilities of the technology beyond the current state-of-the-art

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Upgraded the UHF antenna assembly for the GT-2 CubeSat by developing a novel deployment mechanism using a space-safe additive manufacturing process to reduce mass while improving in-orbit deployment reliability
• Rapidly designed, analyzed, and integrated structural components on GT-2 to meet the spring 2022 launch deadline

• Guided the development of mechanical subsystems for both current and future generation solar-electric vehicles, ensuring that the team adheres to good design and analysis practices to produce competitive designs

• Organized the mechanical systems revamp of the team’s current workhorse solar-electric vehicle by hosting weekly division meetings, developing project planning tools, and handling longer-term integration logistics
• Supervised the early-stage development of the team's next-generation vehicle, adhering to a first-principles approach and proper design practices to produce a fundamentally sound vehicle architecture
• Attended the 2021 Formula Sun Grand Prix to provide track-side technical guidance and to adjust and maintain mechanical systems so that the vehicle (SR-3) passed scrutineering and successfully qualified for the.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Contributed to preliminary research efforts in order to down-select suspension systems for a multi-occupant vehicle (MOV)

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Collaborated with team members and leadership to ensure compliance with facility safety standards and to enhance productivity through procedure and workspace optimization
• Co-authored team-wide plans for operation during the COVID-19 pandemic to establish a safe working environment and maximize utilization of on-campus resources and workspaces

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Developed a new solar array mounting mechanism to improve serviceability, charging performance, and operating efficiency, all while minimizing weight and maintaining robustness for use in adverse conditions

Massachusetts, United States

• Led development of a remote handling system for the SPARC tokamak that precisely positions its 4-ton port plugs, enabling safe installation and disposal while minimizing operator radiation exposure
• Identified a critical bolted-joint analysis error, averting >$1M in expenses by preventing the propagation of flawed design decisions that would have later required extensive re-engineering or caused severe failures

Pasadena, California, United States

• Transformed a notional concept for a first-of-its-kind underwater robot into an early-stage prototype design by determining subsystem interface requirements and designing the electronics and propulsion system.
• Designed and assembled prototype wheel actuators for mobility and autonomy testing of a lunar rover, improving the load capacity of the baseline design by a factor of six to account for Earth’s higher gravity

Redmond, Washington, United States

• Led the development of mechanisms for power transmission from the deployable solar array to the chassis of next-generation V2.0 Starlink satellites, enabling mission-critical spacecraft functionality
• Performed testing and calculations for cable harnessing downselection to compare characteristics such as power loss and capsule torque, ultimately determining a $250k cable purchase order for Q1 2022 production
• Accounted for the priorities of multiple teams as well as feedback from full-time engineers and technicians to arrive at an optimal set of mechanism design trade-offs for system level implementation

Baltimore, MD

• Devised reliability and capability enhancements for the Towed Aerial Lift Of Naval Systems (TALONS) project
• Performed equipment validation tests for submarine-launched ballistic missile systems in order to ensure operability during deployment on Columbia-class vessels
• Developed and executed acceptance tests for components of a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) deployment system in order to verify manufacturer specifications and ensure compliance with government requirements
• Provided concept designs for various early-stage projects such as an automated oyster farm and the Navy's Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) program

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

• Designed a single-axis rail system that will be used to develop dynamic positioning methods for slung loads

Greenbelt, Maryland, United States

• Fabricated high-detail physical models of proposed spacecraft and flight hardware used as tools to refine mission concepts, acquire funding for NASA Goddard, and gain public support
• Facilitated communication with mission teams to adjust model designs and accommodate shifting deadlines, ensuring on-time delivery of high-quality products
• Presented mission concepts and models to GSFC faculty and branch directors at the Summer Intern Poster Session

• Rapidly developed and manufactured parts for robot to produce a refined design and maximize time for testing
• Responsible for keeping track of all ongoing projects, ensuring that they are completed on time and to spec

Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

• Experimented with new drivetrain and mechanism designs to enhance the capability of competition robots
• Built and taught a workshop for 30+ new members every year on proper machining practices and the basics of drivetrain design, greatly enhancing their skill and knowledge for build season
• Applied fundamental design concepts to produce simple, robust, and elegant solutions for a wide array of design challenges

Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

• Developed potential satellite models to define spacecraft capabilities and mission scope

Cambridge, Massachusetts

• Developed open-source code for autonomous surface vehicles that runs on affordable hardware, creating a more accessible and flexible system for the academic community
• Improved the maneuverability, path planning, and vision capabilities of the lab’s Reef Explorer 4 vehicle with the long-term goal of enabling autonomous navigation and data collection in the Boston Harbor
• Completed a condensed graduate-level course in order to learn the MOOS-IvP code architecture used by the laboratory

Bethesda, Maryland

• Prepared and performed experiment trial replications and post-experimental data analysis to study the efficacy of using nanoparticles to co-deliver adjuvants and antigens for tumor immunotherapy

Bachelor'S Degree, Mechanical Engineering

Activities and Societies: Solar Racing, Chamber Orchestra, Badminton Club, and Invention Studio Prototyping Instructor In-Training

Aerospace, Aeronautical And Astronautical Engineering

Activities and Societies: FRC Team 449, Montgomery Blair Solar Car Team, Blair3Sat, Project Polyhedra