Tim Kilduff Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, CA, US

Lake Forest, California, United States

La Jolla Shores, California, United States

• Investigated the application of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for autonomous optical navigation, achieving a 91% accuracy rate in detecting craters on the surface of the Moon out to 70,000 km.
• Validated the robustness of CNNs in diverse light and terrain conditions, maintaining high detection accuracy of craters with a crater area percent error of 6.834% and a normalized angular error of 0.088%.
• Coded simulation architecture using Python, POV-Ray ray-tracing software for synthetic image generation, and YOLOv5 computer vision model for training.
• Presented findings at the 2023 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference and the 2024 JAXA Astrodynamics and Flight Mechanics Workshop. Research accepted for the 4th Space Imaging Workshop in Oct., 2024.

Pomona, California, United States

• Working under a mentor from CPP doing individual computational analysis of simulated dwarf galaxies.
• Responsible for investigating the stellar birth scale factors and galactic mass-size relations of dwarf galaxies.
• Coded, analyzed, and presented computational data to generate plots demonstrating various relationships between galactic and stellar properties.

Pomona, California, United States

• Developed a NASA-level proposal aimed for an interstellar space mission, which included detailed mission objectives, resource estimates, and risk assessments.
• Designed and optimized investigations for studying cosmic rays, Planet IX, Kuiper Belt Objects, Oort Cloud, and gravitational lensing, ensuring that the scientific objectives were achievable within the mission.
• Presented key findings and mission feasibility studies at JPL, Pasadena, receiving positive feedback from senior engineers and mission planners, contributing to ongoing discussions about interstellar exploration.

Pomona, California, United States

• Worked on a CPP faculty/student team to create a functioning microscope that costs consumers less than $1.
• Led a team of scientists to test optical lenses of various curvatures, thicknesses.
• Prepared and tested a wide range of biological samples. Additionally, worked on fiber optics and microfluidic channels.

Master Of Science - Ms, Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Specialization: Astrodynamics, Adaptive Systems & Dynamic Modeling, and Linear & Optimal Control. Thesis: Autonomous Optical Navigation.

Bachelor'S Degree, Physics

Activities and Societies: Pi Kappa PhiSpecialization: Astrophysics