Daniel P Koch

Resume

Education

Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering

Brigham Young University Provo, Utah All but dissertation
  • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow
  • Emphasis in unmanned air vehicles, controls, robotics
  • Coursework: Autonomous Systems, Deep Learning, Linear System Theory, Nonlinear System Theory, Robust Control, Robotic Vision, Dynamics of Mechanical Systems, Math of Signals and Systems, Stochastic Processes, Compliant Mechanisms

B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Brigham Young University Provo, Utah April 2014
  • Summa cum laude (4.00 GPA)
  • Minor in Computer Science
  • Elective Courses: Flight Dynamics and Control, Mechatronics, Design of Control Systems, Optimization Techniques, Neuromechanics of Movement

Work Experience

Senior Software Engineer

Aurora Innovation, Inc. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania July 2020 – Present
  • Developing localization systems for autonomous vehicles

Research Assistant

BYU MAGICC Lab Provo, Utah November 2012 – June 2020
  • Research guidance and control of small UAVs in environments with degraded GPS
  • Developed, implemented, and flight-tested several Kalman filter variants with estimates in the loop
  • Architected, implemented, and iterated complex, multi-component system used in several flight tests
  • Co-developed the ROSflight autopilot firmware and ROS stack

GNC Engineer

Kitty Hawk Corporation Mountain View, California January 2017 – April 2017
  • Functioned as lead estimation engineer for early development of a manned multirotor aircraft
  • Developed and implemented full-state GPS/INS estimation software
  • Contributed to system-level software design and integration decisions
  • Supported miniature and full-scale flight testing

Summer Researcher

Air Force Research Laboratory Fort Walton Beach, Florida Summers 2014, 2015, 2016
  • Implemented multirotor estimator and controller for Pixhawk autopilot (PX4 flight stack)
  • Developed hardware and software capabilities for collaborative multirotor research test platform

Intern

Daimler Trucks North America Portland, Oregon Summer 2012
  • Developed methodology for dynamic and kinematic modeling and analysis of heavy truck hood mounting system
  • Helped integrate new software and establish expanded engineering analysis capabilities

Research Assistant

BYU Microstructure Research Lab Provo, Utah October 2010 – April 2012
  • Researched continuum mechanical models of dislocation stress fields near a free surface
  • Self-taught advanced tensor mathematics and made novel theoretical contributions as an undergraduate

Undergraduate Intern

Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, New Mexico Summer 2011
  • Produced original work on mathematical models for effects of dislocations in solids

Skills

  • ROS
  • C/C++, Python, Java
  • MATLAB, Simulink
  • Linux
  • Pixhawk/PX4
  • OpenCV
  • Tensorflow
  • PCB Design (KiCad, CadSoft EAGLE)
  • PIC microcontroller
  • LMS Virtual.Lab Motion
  • CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, Inventor
  • Excel
  • LaTeX
  • HTML/CSS/PHP/JavaScript

Awards and Certifications

  • National Defense Engineering and Science Graduate Fellowship
  • Ira A. Fulton College PhD Fellowship
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering Research Fellowship
  • Graduate Student Technical Excellence Award
  • Tau Beta Pi Stabile Scholarship
  • Heritage Academic Scholarship
  • National Merit Scholarship
  • Kruger Scholarship
  • Eagle Scout with Silver Palm
  • Piano Syllabus Post Level X with Honors
  • PADI Advanced Open Water Diver