Lineage

• EV Powertrain Grandpa Dec 2025 to present
• EV Powertrain Team Lead Apr 2025 to Dec 2025
• Accumulator Mechanical Engineer Aug 2024 to Apr 2025
• EV Powertrain Member Aug 2023 to Aug 2024

• High Voltage Systems
• Motor Integration
• Tractive Battery
• BMS
• Drivetrain
• DCIR Characterisation

Sophomore and junior year

After finishing my co-op with RTX (Collins Aerospace), I ran in an extremely competitive election to win the EV Powertrain Team Lead position for Iowa State's Formula SAE EV team. I was responsible for the design, manufacturing, integration, and testing of the entire electric powertrain system on Iowa State University's first ever FSAE EV race car. That meant overseeing everything from the motor and inverter to the accumulator, cooling systems, and the countless small details that make the car both fast and reliable.

Leading the Powertrain team is more than designing and managing an EV powertrain system. It's managing people. I coordinated a team of talented engineers, each with their own specialties, and made sure the designs lined up with our performance targets, safety standards, and tight competition deadlines. I held regular design reviews, set milestones, and kept everyone on track while still giving my engineers the space to own their work. A big part of the job is translating complex technical requirements into tasks people can actually act on, and keeping communication flowing between our subsystem and the rest of the EV team.

This position challenged me to think like both an engineer and a project manager. I learned how to delegate effectively, resolve design disagreements with data driven decisions, and adapt quickly when problems arise. I also learned how to balance short term progress with long term goals, making sure we not only got the car built, but that it was built right.

Every day in this role I pushed myself to grow not just as an engineer, but as a leader. I learned the importance of listening before making decisions, how to inspire people when deadlines get stressful, and how to foster a team culture where everyone feels like their contribution matters. It's the kind of hands on leadership experience you can't get from a textbook, and it's preparing me for the engineering challenges I'll face in my career.

Sophomore year

Late in my freshman year I ran for an elected position on my Formula team titled Accumulator Mechanical Engineer, which I held during the first semester of my sophomore year.

As the Accumulator Mechanical Engineer, my role involved designing and managing the mechanical systems that house and protect our vehicle's energy storage components. I focused on making sure everything was secure, efficient, and up to the safety standards required for competition. This position gave me the opportunity to work closely with a talented team, tackling challenges that require both creativity and technical precision.

In this position I managed two interns who assisted me with various projects on the accumulator itself, which was a great opportunity to practice my leadership skills. I also learned the challenges of delegating work and managing technical work with my interns.

In September I visited the Hendrick Motorsports facility for the FSAE EV Workshop. There I developed a much deeper technical understanding of the car as a whole. I heard from industry professionals at companies like Tesla, and from a Hendrick Motorsports race engineer, on what being an engineer in a professional environment is like. I also sat in on several presentations I found incredibly interesting, most notably one on vehicle dynamics. Overall it was a great opportunity, and it motivated me to build a better, more well engineered car.

The highlight of our year as a team is the Formula SAE competition, where everything we've worked on comes together on the track.

Freshman year

My freshman year I was a member of the Powertrain EV team, where I assisted in the design and preparedness of the vehicle. I spent most of my time learning the logistics of how an EV powertrain system works, and absorbing knowledge from experienced members.

The powertrain I owned

Everything from the tractive battery to the wheels. The high voltage path is the part that has to be right the first time. An accumulator feeds an inverter, the inverter drives the motor, the BMS watches every cell, and cooling sits on whatever makes heat.

I also ran testing and validation across the whole system. Performance, efficiency, DCIR cell characterisation, reliability.

The car

Team Instagram