Sam C. Email and Phone Number

Designed and developed (C++) a peripheral interface framework to enable simple integration of heterogeneous devices into REGENT's first manned vehicle, and other safety critical systems. The framework uses template meta-programming to simplify and accelerate our development and integration workflows, and has significantly increased the testability and extensibility of our vehicle software, while keeping the software's complexity to a bare minimum.Designed and implemented (C++) algorithms to guarantee fault tolerant data sharing between a set of triple redundant flight computers on REGENT's first manned vehicle. These algorithms were designed to be provably correct, increasing the overall confidence in the correctness of our safety critical software, and its ability to tolerate unanticipated failures.Designed and developed (C++) a new altitude estimation system for REGENT’s unmanned prototype vehicle. This system provided demonstrably better estimates than the system it replaced, and notably improved the vehicle’s stability and performance. The system also offered improved observability mechanism over the software it replaced, accelerating development and reducing time to flight.Led the effort (C\C++\MATLAB\Simulink) to increase the speed of REGENT’s hydrodynamics simulation software. This effort led to a 20x speed improvement, a sufficiently substantial speedup so that the software could run in real time, a key factor in REGENT getting the vehicle to flight. Developed (C\C++) a number of libraries to implement the math routines required for simulating the hydrodynamics of REGENT’s prototype vehicle. These libraries were designed to be demonstrably correct and simple to maintain, and still outperformed the FORTRAN equivalents used as its benchmark. These libraries serve as the principle computational engine for REGENT's vehicle simulation software.

Led development (C++/Python) of a maritime, multi-asset mission planning system. This system, and the associated research, showed sufficient advanced capabilities to win two years worth of extension funding, an invitation to present at the Submarine Technology Symposium, and served as the basis of credibility for several follow on research solicitation responses.Developed (C++) a distributed autonomy pipeline in for the DARPA Blackjack mission management system. This pipeline became the basis of development for several follow on programs and demonstration missions. Designed and integrated (C++) subsystem interfaces for same program. This effort led to the discovery of a number of mismatched assumptions on each side of the interfaces, so led the systems engineering effort to reconcile these with minimum software rework.

Developed and Implemented algorithm in MATLAB to find orbits satisfying novel, cluster-level geometric constraints for a satellite formation flight R&D program. Integrated STK dynamics into MATLAB to validate results.Responsible for maintaining expertise on a DoD satellite payload, and used this expertise to lead the response to and investigation of on orbit anomalies, to support the planning and execution of engineering activities, and to integrate new products and applications into the system.

Created numerical analyses including error and link budgets for a novel radar transmission system that led to a substantial rearchitecting of the system’s physical design prior to its construction.Derived, for the same system, computational benchmarks necessary for its signal processing subsystem to meet its requirements. These benchmarks demonstrated the inability of the proposal’s design to meet mission needs, leading to a redesign of the subsystem prior to its development.Led the testing of the COTS software defined radios purchased for program. These tests revealed a flaw in the radio’s design and provided the information necessary for the manufacturer to isolate the issue and redesign the radio to meet its published specifications.Designed and prototyped algorithms in MATLAB to demonstrate how high precision calibration of the system might be done, despite the system’s unusual constraints.Acted as signal processing team’s scrum master for one year. In this capacity, organized and ran daily scrum session, bi-weekly sprint planning meetings, and bi-monthly release planning meetings, and represented team in front of program management and customers.Wrote code in C++ for physical and data link layers of a satellite communication protocol to achieve capabilities such as precision transmission timing, forward error correction, and packet decoding, and designed the interface between the layers to mediate differential processing rates.

Conducted original research in Applied Algebraic Topology advised by Dr. Robert Ghrist on problem of randomly generating cellular sheaves, mathematical objects that collate local data in a globally coherent manner. Presented the results of this research in a talk at Oxford University and at a conference at Hokkaido University.Taught review course for masters written preliminary examination in Applied Mathematics and worked as a teaching assistant for various undergraduate and graduate courses.Led review sessions for a course on Topological Data Analysis at a conference on modern methods in data analysis to compliment lecture series on same subject.Organized and ran University’s Graduate Mathematics Seminar Series for two semesters.

Back-tested, implemented, and automated new statistical arbitrage trade for Equity Desk, generating $5,000,000 profit on $500,000 in costs, a 1,000% ROI.Wrote software in Python and VBA for trade reconciliation and data visualization for Commodity Desk which automated tasks that had previously taken several hours a day to do by hand and enabled faster decision making for new trades.