Tom Kerr

Tom Kerr Email and Phone Number

Embedded software development for mission-critical applications @ ZOLL LifeVest
Tom Kerr's Location
Murrysville, Pennsylvania, United States, United States
Tom Kerr's Contact Details

Tom Kerr personal email

About Tom Kerr

I lead small teams to bring high-reliability, purpose-built devices to market. With extensive experience in all phases of product development — from research to launch and support — I have successfully delivered products in aerospace, logistics and medical devices. I am equally comfortable as a team lead and practitioner and enjoy projects where I can do both.• Languages: C, C++, C#, Python, Bash, SQL• Processors: ARM (multiple vendors and families), TI MSP430, Microchip PIC, Atmel AVR • RTOS: FreeRTOS, Embedded Linux (plus extensive bare-metal experience)• Machine Learning/Cloud: Amazon EC2, S3, SageMaker, TensorFlow• SDLC: Jama, Jira, Confluence, GitLabSpecialties: Low Power • Real-Time • Signal Processing • M2M Communications

Tom Kerr's Current Company Details
ZOLL LifeVest

Zoll Lifevest

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Embedded software development for mission-critical applications
Website:
zoll.com
Tom Kerr Work Experience Details
  • Zoll Lifevest
    Manager Of Embedded Software Development
    Zoll Lifevest 2015 - Present
    Ma, 01824, Us
    ZOLL is a global provider of medical devices, software and related services to diagnose and treat patients suffering from serious cardiopulmonary and respiratory conditions. • Guided a software team developing safety-critical software for the first wearable cardiac defibrillator that achieved approval under the newest FDA premarket and cybersecurity regulations.• Introduced a machine-learning based noise discriminator that produced a 56% relative reduction in arrhythmia alarms• Led a team developing an algorithm simulation test bed that achieved an average 50x speedup of data collection and test runs• Designed and implemented IoT data protocols between fielded devices and cloud-based applications for improved diagnostics and reporting• Designed and implemented upgrades to a legacy Linux data transfer system that reduced downtime by 90%• Created a sustaining engineering group using a Kanban system that reduced time to closure of field issues. Pioneered a "Tour of Duty" concept to facilitate knowledge transfer between development and sustaining groups.• Established and improved multi-team Scrum processes for product development; added unit tests, continuous build and integration pipelines and automated hardware-in-the-loop testing• Currently leading a geographically dispersed hybrid remote embedded software team executing projects across multiple product lines. Selected projects include: o Design and implementation of complex state machines for device control o Design and implementation of IoT data protocols between devices and cloud-based applications o Implementing DSP algorithms that improve physiological sensor data quality on wearable devices o Design and implementation of automated test fixtures for use by contract manufacturers
  • Independent Contractor
    Embedded Systems Consultant
    Independent Contractor 2010 - 2024
    Providing occasional firmware and embedded systems development and consultation services to small and early-stage companies via word-of-mouth referral. Example projects include:• Wireless cloud data transfer interface board for a legacy pediatric monitoring device• Extreme low-power energy harvesting current monitor for industrial applications• Wireless interface and motor control firmware for consumer robotic applications• LED lighting controller with built-in web server
  • Newcare Solutions Llc.
    Director, Hardware Engineering
    Newcare Solutions Llc. 2012 - 2015
    Startup company providing wireless remote monitoring devices and web-based services primarily to the senior care market.• Led a small engineering team responsible for wireless sensor hardware and software for senior care applications. Starting with a proof-of-concept, we successfully brought a first generation system to full production, resulting in initial revenues for the company.• Developed a wireless mesh networking protocol that facilitates self organization into an optimal tree network without the need to retain any routing information. This results in easy field deployment for our customers, as well as simple re-configuration.• Improved device reliability through hardware and software quality improvements, algorithm improvements, and automated testing. Devices are less expensive to manufacture, and customer support issues have decreased dramatically.• Developed new sensor types that facilitated entry into new market segments. This required development of adaptive DSP algorithms for lightweight microprocessors such as de-noising, statistical and stochastic processing, frequency detection, temperature compensation, and pressure detection.• Developed low-power wireless sensor nodes that achieve battery life in excess of one year.• Inventor and co-inventor on several patent applications.
  • Clearcount Medical Solutions, Inc.
    Software Engineering Manager
    Clearcount Medical Solutions, Inc. 2010 - 2012
    Pittsburgh, Pa, Us
    Small medical device company providing RFID-based operating room equipment that prevents medical errors and improves efficiency. The company's devices received recognition and awards from many sources including the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), Wall Street Journal, Popular Science, and the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA).• Created a 5 person group of software developers and engineering technicians responsible for embedded firmware and PC support tools for RFID-based medical devices. Responsible for software development, system validation, and oversight of quality system processes related to software development. Also responsible for software and hardware maintenance activities related to sustaining engineering of current products.• Led software development team from concept to on-time and on-budget product launch of next-generation medical device.• Championed agile development processes and incorporated them into the quality system, resulting in shorter development cycles and higher reliability code.• Performed Chief Software Architect role for next-generation embedded Linux medical device, providing leadership to other engineers.• Developed Qt foundation classes based on design patterns, resulting in reusable modules with thousands of unit test cases.• Customized embedded Linux OS and modified device drivers for specialized hardware. This made our devices faster and easier to use and decreased manufacturing effort.• Provided engineering support to RFID tag cost reduction efforts resulting in 25% lower cost.• Contributed to electrical and software design of next-generation prototype systems for surgical instrument tracking.
  • Honeywell Vocollect
    Director, Applied Research
    Honeywell Vocollect 2005 - 2010
    Vocollect is the leading provider of innovative mobile voice technology solutions for warehousing and industrial markets. I joined the company as a startup and held positions of increasing responsibility as it grew to over 400 employees and $100 MM in revenue. The company was eventually acquired by Intermec, and is now a part of Honeywell.• Created and staffed department responsible for identification and commercialization of key technologies for new products and markets, with execution directed at innovation in support of business strategy. Performed research, prototyping, architecture, technology transfer and intellectual property activities. Developed wearable RFID and wireless headset product lines.• Key hardware R&D efforts include advanced dielectrics, embedded antennas, energy harvesting, low power RF, weak signal wireless, RFID and RTLS. • Key software R&D efforts include embedded server systems, optimized wireless voice communication and rapid prototyping of voice-assisted systems for new markets. • Key speech recognition R&D efforts include advanced acoustic modeling algorithms, automatic model adaptation and non-linear optimization.• I also managed our global intellectual property program and held corporate authority for export control and CE Mark conformity matters.
  • Honeywell Vocollect
    Director, Product Development
    Honeywell Vocollect 2001 - 2005
    Responsible for engineering development activities associated with all core hardware and software products from concept through end-of-life. Activities included project planning and execution, resource allocation, product portfolio management in support of business strategy. Improved process maturity and product quality.• Built a management team that improved our core competency in several areas including embedded software, enterprise applications, mechanical engineering, and project management• Key contributor to development of Stage Gate based new product development process• Instituted a Software Engineering Process Group to improve internal development processes• Instituted a System Architecture Working Group to ensure the evolution of an integrated hardware and software architecture across the core product line• Project manager for Vocollect's first OEM software product
  • Honeywell Vocollect
    Manager, Product Engineering
    Honeywell Vocollect 1998 - 2001
    Organized and staffed multi-disciplinary department responsible for life-cycle management of all hardware and software products from market introduction through end-of-life.• Developed process and tools for selecting, prioritizing, scheduling, and tracking bug fixes and new features• Managed development of process for software reuse and synchronization between two product lines• Developed database and GUI application core competency that allowed company to pursue a more vertically-integrated business strategy• Provided direct customer support for technical issues
  • Biocontrol Technology, Inc.
    Manager Of Software Engineering
    Biocontrol Technology, Inc. 1998 - 1998
    Biocontrol Technology Inc. is a small company that developed innovative medical devices for the treatment and prevention of disease.Responsible for all software engineering activities for the company. This included embedded systems in medical devices and server-based processing of sensor data. • Directed and coordinated activities of multi-disciplinary engineering personnel• Set technical, schedule, and cost objectives for development projects• Key contributor to overall system requirements, specifications, and architecture• Called upon to understand regulatory agency policy, consensus standards, and best practices, and translate to sound development processes• Developed company-wide software processes resulting in successful ISO-9001 certification• Applied all software processes successfully to receive CE Mark for glucose monitor product line• Developed library of common linear algebra and least-squares routines for use by embedded processors and Unix application programs
  • Biocontrol Technology, Inc.
    Embedded Systems Manager
    Biocontrol Technology, Inc. 1996 - 1998
    Staffed and led a multi-disciplinary team responsible for developing embedded systems for portable medical devices. We were responsible for microprocessor, DSP and FPGA hardware and all embedded firmware.• Staffed and led embedded system development effort of a non-invasive glucose monitor that incorporates real-time signal processing and multivariate analysis algorithms• Staffed and led embedded system development effort of hyperthermia-based cancer and AIDS treatment system that incorporated real-time process control of life sustaining equipment
  • Harris Corporation
    Project Manager
    Harris Corporation 1994 - 1996
    Melbourne, Florida, Us
    Harris Corporation is a Fortune 500 communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 125 countries. I joined the company as a new grad and held positions of increasing responsiblity in its government systems division. During that time I held various security clearances including DoD TS and SCI.Led small teams that developed custom real-time image processing systems for defense R&D projects, from proposal phase to demonstration at operational exercises. Projects included ground-based processing systems for UAV sensors and rugged workstations used by NATO for implementation of the Bosnia peace treaty. Success required coordinating efforts among multiple organizations including DARPA, MIT Lincoln Laboratory and other defense contractors. Also called upon to make technical and budgetary presentations to senior military and government officials.
  • Harris Corporation
    Systems Engineer
    Harris Corporation 1993 - 1994
    Melbourne, Florida, Us
    Primary architect of novel distributed processor system used for automated image mosaic generation from multiple sensors. Key contributor to a number of technical proposals and white papers for custom image processing systems. Developed and taught an overview course in remote sensing.
  • Harris Corporation
    Software Engineer
    Harris Corporation 1990 - 1993
    Melbourne, Florida, Us
    Developed Unix/C++ image processing applications. Key contributor to object-oriented foundation classes for numerical analysis and statistical processing. Developed algorithms for choosing images for mosaics based on graph theory and linear optimization.
  • Harris Corporation
    Hardware Engineer
    Harris Corporation 1984 - 1990
    Melbourne, Florida, Us
    Hardware developer for custom signal processing group. Board-level designs included store-and-forward systems that included dynamic memory management and real-time error correction, mux/demux systems for communications signals, and statistical processing and event detection in streaming data. Developed several device drivers for computer control of this custom hardware. Contributed to an ASIC design that included on-chip FFT and radar signal processing sections.

Tom Kerr Skills

Embedded Systems Software Engineering Product Development Firmware Electronics Software Development Software Design Wireless Embedded Software Digital Signal Processors Start Ups Perl Agile Methodologies Device Drivers System Architecture Medical Devices C++ Rfid+ Electrical Engineering Linux Manufacturing Software Project Management Medical Software Hardware Rf Technology Development Signal Processing Algorithms Sensors Rfid Fpga Object Oriented Design Engineering Management Pcb Design Image Processing Embedded Linux Technical Leadership Wireless Technologies Field Programmable Gate Arrays Rf Systems Agile

Tom Kerr Education Details

  • Florida Institute Of Technology
    Florida Institute Of Technology
    Electrical Engineering
  • Penn State University
    Penn State University
    Electrical Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Kerr

What company does Tom Kerr work for?

Tom Kerr works for Zoll Lifevest

What is Tom Kerr's role at the current company?

Tom Kerr's current role is Embedded software development for mission-critical applications.

What is Tom Kerr's email address?

Tom Kerr's email address is to****@****ail.com

What schools did Tom Kerr attend?

Tom Kerr attended Florida Institute Of Technology, Penn State University.

What are some of Tom Kerr's interests?

Tom Kerr has interest in Electronic Design, Embedded Systems, Programmable Logic, Rfid And Iot, Linux, Space Systems, Wireless Communications, Signal Processing, Amateur Radio.

What skills is Tom Kerr known for?

Tom Kerr has skills like Embedded Systems, Software Engineering, Product Development, Firmware, Electronics, Software Development, Software Design, Wireless, Embedded Software, Digital Signal Processors, Start Ups, Perl.

Who are Tom Kerr's colleagues?

Tom Kerr's colleagues are Thomas Kuhlmann, Liviya Perju, David Appleby, David Major, Cheryl Defoyd Mansfield, Hollilyn Miska, Frédérick Martin.

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