Robert Dahlgren Email & Phone Number

Nasa Ames Research Center

As a research scientist and adjunct professor at the CSUMB Department of Applied Environmental Science (AES), I am working on Earth science, unmanned aerial vehicles, geophysics, measurement science, aeronautics, and remote sensing projects in collaboration with researchers at NASA Ames and other centers of research.http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yJ810EsAAAAJAs the manager of the Autonomous System Development Laboratory (ASDL) I am involved in a wide range of technical, operational, and educational aspects of UAV/UAS/drone technology.

Worldwide

Consulting, training and expert witness services in optical, electronics, and telecommunications technology.

San Francisco Bay Area

Interdisciplinary research in geophysics, mathematical modeling of electrical and optical instruments, informal education and public outreach. Volunteered from 2009 until 2011, and in 2011 became employed as a staff scientist.

Nasa Ames Research Center

Interdisciplinary research in geoscience, biological science, electronics, optical science, sensors and transducers; Instrument development and design of experiments.

Nasa Ames Research Center

Research in geoscience of natural hazards, particularly electromagnetic anomalies related to seismic activity.

Santa Cruz, Ca

BASKIN SCHOOL OF ENGINEERINGStaff position to set up and manage a new lab to study optical data storage as enabled by the recent commercialization of blue laser diodes. This included setting up test beds and the development of a 2-dimensional thermo-optical model in MatLab to simulate the writing process for Blu-ray and HD-DVD storage media.ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTResearch Assistantship investigating optical propagation in polymer optical fiber (POF), specifically understanding the role of mode-mixing and launch conditions on the link impulse response, and how to optimize design tradeoffs for high-speed POF data links. The result was a fiber ferrule with an integrated non-imaging concentrator that was demonstrated in a TOSA and ROSA using chip-on-board packaging. This work was ultimately published as a Ph.D. dissertation and a patent was issued on the novel packaging element.Teaching Assistant for EE80T "Electrical Engineering Technology" this course combined an introduction to EE for non-majors, history of electrical engineering, current topics, and spectacular demonstrations of classic experiments. Received highest evals of any TA in the college.

Palo Alto, Ca

Research and development on a fiber optic transceiver that employed pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) rather than on-off keying (OOK). Developed a technology demonstration setup, test setup, error budget, and requirements for diode laser, photodetector, optical subassembly (TOSA /ROSA) and other components for PAM data links.

Santa Clara, Ca

Fujikura Technology America Corp. (FTAC) opened in Sunnyvale California as a research arm of Fujikura Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo Japan. As the initial technical hire I led research and NPD of a number of optical devices in close coordination with engineers at the factories and US sales and marketing teams. Products taken from concept to production included optical fiber connectors, cables, and gigabit communication links. I was also responsible for technical standards compliance, laser safety certification, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) and compliance (EMC) in North America; as these tasks were transferred to operating divisions, I became subject matter expert for maintaining and obtaining certifications including the CE mark.Interface with partners: Stanford University, Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. (AFL), USconec, Fujikura America Inc. (FAI), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), and Fujikura Europe Ltd.

Cambridge, Ma

MEMBER OF THE TECHNICAL STAFFAs a Member of the Technical Staff, I managed a small group that developed high-performance passive optical fiber devices for inertial sensor applications, and established a state-of-the-art polishing laboratory for optical device, integrated-optic circuit, solid-state laser and air bearing research. A number of devices were made from polarization-maintaining optical fiber include fixed couplers with optical contact bonding, adjustable couplers with good stability and spliceless fiber optic ring resonators with ultra-high finesse and low backreflection. Awarded seven patents as sole inventor and one patent as co-inventor on various fiber optic devices and methods.DRAPER FELLOWSponsored research at MIT under Prof. Ezekiel, developing a novel mathematical formalism used to simulate optical fiber interferometers having arbitrary interconnection complexity, including higher-order errors arising from parasitic effects such as backreflection, splice polarization misalignment, and coupler non-idealities. This simulation was implemented in Mathematica and published as part of a M.Sc. dissertation.

Phoenix, Arizona Area

Applied research and development of polarization maintaining optical fiber devices, for what would become a new line of navigation-grade interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (IFOG). Developed techniques for low-volume fabrication of PM fiber fused couplers, polarizers, PZT phase modulators, sensing coils, splicing, and IFOG system assembly. Designed fixtures and processes for PM fiber principal axis alignment, fused coupler manufacturing, coil winding and integrated optical circuit pigtailing.Sperry Flight Systems was acquired by Honeywell in 1986, and Sperry Marine Systems is now owned by Northrop-Grumman.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

MAGNETIC PERIPHERALS INC.Research on optical metrology for characterization of surface flatness, roughness and cleanliness of magnetic disc drive media. Worked on characterization of read/write head dynamic flying height using non-contact optical interferometry, and invented and patented a flying height standard that allowed absolute calibration of flying height testers.MPI was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Control Data Corporation, and is now owned by Seagate.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

SYSTEMS & RESEARCH CENTERResearch on single-mode fiber components and sensors built from them: optical fiber interferometers, magnetometers, acoustic sensors, and gyroscopes. Hands-on skills developed included stripping, cleaning, cleaving, splicing, handling and coil-winding of single-mode optical fiber. Constructed early examples of passive optical fiber components including switches, fused couplers, connectors, acoustical coating, and a polarizer. At the SRC there was exposure to broader technologies that could be applied to device and sensor development: thin film technology, laser material processing, fabrication of gas lasers, precision engineering, sensors and actuators.AVIONICS DIVISIONDesign and production engineering on a number of ring laser gyroscopes for aerospace guidance navigation and control. This work spanned optics, high voltage engineering, HeNe laser physics, interferometric readout, polishing, optical contact bonding, and understanding how practical imperfections lead to uncertainty in measuring the ideal Sagnac effect. Evaluated and applied piezoelectric actuators for interferometer path length control, micropositioning and dither motor functions for bulk-optical interferometers and gyroscopes.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Solid State Electronics Center (Plymouth MN)Photolithography lab technician operating reticle pattern generator, step-and-repeat camera, and laser repair systems to generate photomasks. Experience with darkroom procedure, cleanroom, wet processing, chemical handling, and a variety of optical inspection tools.

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering

Activities and Societies: Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant

M.Sc., Physics

Activities and Societies: Physics Club

M.Sc., Aeronautics / Astronautics

Activities and Societies: Draper Fellow

B.Sc., Electrical Engineering

Activities and Societies: Philosophical Society of Dinkytown