Max Smoot Email & Phone Number

Redmond, Wa, Us

PRINCIPAL SYSTEMS ENGINEER (September 2022 - Present)NTI LEAD, RF SYSTEMS (September 2020 - Present)SENIOR TECHNOLOGIST (June 2022)DIRECTOR, SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (September 2021 - September 2022)SENIOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING MANAGER (March 2020 - September 2021)SYSTEMS ENGINEERING MANAGER (May 2019 - March 2020)LEAD SYSTEMS ENGINEER (May 2017 - May 2019)SENIOR RF SYSTEMS ENGINEER (January 2017 - May 2017)RF SYSTEMS ENGINEER (January 2016 - January 2017)• Stood up technical solutions delivery process and team chartered to evaluate new use cases, to evaluate associated technical risks, and to run in situ technical trials on nascent products• Scoped and led successful trials and demos for external parties using prototype equipment• Project Engineer for multi-mTenna (metamaterials antenna) terminal project• Primary Systems Engineer for coherent RF combining project• Led dozens of technology demonstrations and explanations to potential customers/investors• Created system and software flow diagrams to support multi-antenna terminal design• Created and maintained system and subsystem requirements in support of Ku mTenna, combiner, and multi-mTenna terminal design using Jama• Supported system bring-up and validation activities for prototype Ku ASMs and combiner • Created DSP (digital signal processing) FPGA test vectors for and designed polyphase and fractional delay filters• Integrated terminal for and supported cross-country Ku comms-on-the-move demonstration

Fairfax, Va, Us

I operated in the Systems Architecture and Analysis group developing both space-based and terrestrial-based systems.ADVANCED ENGINEER III - SYSTEMS (October 2015 - Jan 2016)• Generated system designs and operational models in support of new business• Chief Engineer for Detect, Search, and Transmit EW (Electronic Warfare) platform• Developed link budget, requirements, and ground station design for CubeSat communicationADVANCED ENGINEER II - SYSTEMS (March 2014 - September 2015)• Architected, integrated, and automated a coherent, 8-channel RF direction finding test bed to enable real-time hardware-in-the-loop functional verification with arbitrary signal environment• Generated signal-dense waveforms to simulate dynamic, modulated signals (AM, FM, BPSK, QPSK, FSK, PSK, etc.) for multi-element antenna arrays• Authored technical Concept of Operations (CONOPs) document for software defined radio design.• Automated Keysight/Agilent test hardware (signal generators, arbitrary waveform generators, spectrum analyzers) via MATLAB and LabVIEW• Generated fishbones for integration troubleshooting for resolving RF/analog and digital signal impairments• Continued international and domestic travel for full life cycle support, including system integration, sell-off, and training.ADVANCED ENGINEER I - SYSTEMS (August 2010 - March 2014)• Primary FPGA and C developer and integrator for prototype satellite payload receiver• Revised gain control algorithms in a space-bound communication payload to halve the time to acquire signal• Developed and executed test plans to verify ground stations and space-bound hardware• Authored white papers and trade studies for prototype and equipment development and selection• Utilized LabVIEW to automate the communications channel testing process for space hardware• Selected as one of two participants from the Santa Clara campus to launch the System Architect Development Program

www.formlifting.com• Envisioned, architected, and prototyped a sensor package to provide quantitative feedback on Olympic lifts• Worked as part of a distributed 2-3 person team to bring hardware from Arduino shield to fully functional PCB-Teensy prototype • Developed and implemented algorithms using signal processing and sport science techniques to highlight key performance metrics from sensor data• Implemented data fusion algorithm on 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer data

Bethesda, Md, Us

Primarily functioned as a Systems Engineer with a focus on developing realizable, verifiable requirements• Systems Engineer in support of Wideband Digital Receiver and Antenna development• Developed and refined ground station requirements to be realizable and verifiable• Presented on and led a study into the design for low level fault detection and isolation within the digital receiver and ancillary equipment• Provided technical oversight for antenna and pedestal subcontractor factory acceptance testing

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Completed a MSEE in controls with a focus on robotic applications via coursework from the aerospace, mechanical, electrical, and computer science departments. Applicable projects include:Control Systems Laboratory, Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering Course, Spring 2008• Identified system parameters and poles through step-response time-trace data and sine sweep data• Identified parameters for rectilinear carts, torsional disks, and a process control system• Designed collocated and non-collocated controllers for 2-degree-of-freedom rectilinear cartsIntroduction to Robotics, Computer Science/Electrical Engineering Course, Fall 2007• Designed, programmed, and built a an autonomous, wheeled robot to localize, navigate, and retrieve objects competitively• Developed control algorithms and appropriate gear ratios to aid in gate operations and locomotion via continuous rotation servos

San Antonio, Tx, Us

• Contributed to the design of the next generation avionics system for the A-10 Warthog• Authored several trade studies on the economic and functional considerations of part selections• Corresponded with manufacturers and assemblers to coordinate turnkey assembly for mass production of a PCB

Pursued advanced coursework in controls, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering. Applicable projects include:Engineering Clinic with SRI International, 2006-2007• Developed prototype sensor modules for wireless monitoring of human postures• Designed sensor modules around a PIC microcontroller containing sensors with various polling schemes and protocols (SPI, I2C, A2D) communicating with a central processing node via Bluetooth.• As project manager, constructed a project schedule, a work plan, and a budget estimate.• Team Leader/Project Manager of the 5 person team and $40,000 budgetEngineering Clinic with Sierra Wireless, Spring 2006• Developed a Voice-Over-IP gateway for commercial Wireless Wide Area Networks as part of a 5 person team.Experimental Engineering, Engineering Course, Spring 2005• Performed vibration analysis of impulse response for system identification through nondestructive testing• Designed MATLAB GUI to assist with data processing for in-the-field testing

Sunnyvale, California, Us

• Designed and assembled a printed circuit board level shifter to be used at speeds up to 20 GHz• Developed software to run test vectors through a National Instruments PCI card• Developed software to automate jitter testing with an Agilent N4903A on a custom chip

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Engineering

Ms, Electrical Engineering