Building performant multi-object tracking technology for challenging datasets.

Working with Valve and partners to develop VR tracking technology and products.

As a senior research engineer at Northrop Grumman I had the opportunity to wear many different hats.Wearing my principal investigator hat I built a machine vision-based navigation and image geo-registration system for airborne platforms. I managed all technical aspects of the project, helped develop and integrate the core algorithms, directed the efforts of subordinates and subcontractors, prepared and delivered technical progress and risk assessment reports, and worked with the gov't customer to design capability demonstrations to attract new opportunities.Wearing my lead software engineer hat I developed a post-processing navigation system in which vision-based motion estimates were fused in a Kalman filter framework. I developed a real-time personal navigation system that operated without GPS, and also developed a Kalman smoothing filter to post-process the navigation data to achieve a high degree of accuracy. I designed and implemented a plug-and-play system architecture enabling sensor and algorithm interface abstraction for use in building modular and cost-effective navigation systems.Wearing my lead system engineer hat I worked with subcontractors to define software and hardware interface specifications for real-time data exchange. I also designed prototype brassboard systems for customer demonstrations and wrote system/sub-system requirements specification documents.Wearing my lab manager hat I created a research and development lab to suit the needs and requirements of a multitude of customer and internal projects. I worked with facilities to get the necessary electrical and RF signal interfaces wired, and I coordinated with auditing bodies to ensure compliance with all applicable corporate policies.Wearing my mentoring hat I have introduced junior engineers to navigation fundamentals, complex software systems, real-time software, modular software, and the need to comply with and maintain existing software.

I conducted research for IR&D project into extracting novel navigation information from human-worn IMU, resulting in a patent award ("System and method for tracking a moving person"). I also developed software (navigation algorithms, sensor interface, and test interface) in C/C++ for prototype personal navigation system and helped perform system acceptance testing.