University of Michigan College of Engineering

Building thriving teams within elite NewSpace organizations

Space, Drones, Clean Tech Startups

Angel Investor

Our commitment is to curate and close premier talent for our partners, achieved via specialized technical screening, personalized culture assessment, and high-touch candidate engagement. We are motivated to foster boundless team satisfaction and catalyze innovation for future generations, enabling inconceivable technology from Earth, to the stars.

AdAstra Talent Acquisition

Founder, COO, CTO

• Managed ever-changing schedule of drone flyovers for existing and potential construction jobsites
• Balanced operational budget by optimizing logistics; cut costs by eliminating low value operations
• Streamlined supporting field processes and created simple training materials to ensure success
• Troubleshot technical issues and went the extra mile to fix before the customer experiences pain
• Researched and tested emerging technologies to improve accuracy of data and provide competitive advantage
• Partnered with drone operators to support rapid growth of start-up; motivated and monitored performance
• Distributed account management tasks with Customer Success to achieve supreme customer happiness
• Acted as Product Manager of operations-related applications; used metrics to supervise software development
• Provided business insight and aligned Marketing and Sales with Operations to drive revenue growth

TraceAir Technologies

Drone/Field Operations Manager (Head of US Operations)

Engine Reuse
	- Work with cross-functional team to cultivate simple and repeatable processes for Merlin reuse
	- Manage highly dynamic requirements across a variety of engine configurations in a growing fleet
	- Assess and provide disposition for non-conformances associated with reduced engine life
	- Develop and incorporate dependable phase out plans for refurbishment tasks between flights
	- Travel to launch sites to perform inspections after recovery and prior to launch to ensure flight reliability

Development Engineering Support
	- Provide input on new designs and manufacturability
	- Coordinate and track parts through fabrication and assembly processes
	- Design and initiate fabrication of tooling
	- Generate assembly and checkout instructions
	- Support development and qualification testing campaigns

Design Support
	- Organize engineering requirements, priority and design resources
	- Review drawings in Teamcenter for manufacturability and ensure functional requirements are met
	- Perform design work with NX as needed; revise and release blueprints

Procurement Activities
	- Work with production control and purchasing team to coordinate new parts with suppliers
	- Identify appropriate internal shop resources for parts fabricated in house and support during first run of parts
	- Regularly status parts on order and impact to schedule

Assembly Support
	- Author work instructions and test procedures
	- Support technicians during initial build
	- Revise instructions with feedback
	- Ensure quality and safety requirements are met and maintained
	- Identify inefficiencies and establish new processes to solve them

Nonconforming Conditions
	- Review and disposition nonconforming conditions
	- Determine root cause and implement corrective actions
	- Rapidly implement mitigation plans to remove all risk

Production Handoff
	- Train and support production engineering team on new product
	- Maintain oversight through ongoing review of work instructions and dispositions

SpaceX

Propulsion Build Engineer II

• Guided students in completing aerospace engineering labs in preparation for fabricating hovercrafts
• Mentored and advised freshman during lab to learn and apply engineering principles as they assemble blimps
• Developed skill in teaching basic engineering principles to young students
• Assessed and graded coursework in a fair, informative, and timely manner

University of Michigan

Graduate Student Instructor

• Spearheaded the design and implementation of a system critical to vehicle integration into the transport erector
   ◦ Re-utilized and retrofitted jackscrews from previous launch support equipment to work with new function
   ◦ Developed the system such that it constrained the rotation of an industrial sized steel structure
   ◦ Guided vendor in the rapid design of a controls-based, dual servo-motor subsystem
   ◦ Interfaced with management, engineers, vendors, technicians and electricians to complete multi-site project
   ◦ Analyzed lugs and welded joints in conjunction with the creation of drawings for multiple parts
• Traveled to launch site and provided critical support in mitigating risk in vehicle integration
• Contrived an easy to manufacture, user-friendly measurement tool for use in a constrictive space near the vehicle

Launch Operations Intern

• Supported the development of a new production process to significantly reduce thrust chamber assembly costs
   ◦ Coordinated with machine shop to generate an unconventional machining method utilizing a belt grinder
   ◦ Led the research of advanced machining technology to be used for fast and effective production
   ◦ Designed and validated tooling used for providing proof of concept
   ◦ Supervised stamping vendor to show them where improvements needed to be implemented
   ◦ Communicated with vendors and machine shops to expedite completion of parts and tests
   ◦ Assisted assembly technicians to learn first hand where enhancements were required

Propulsion Engineering Intern

• Acted as lead design engineer to redesign actuator for a nacelle anti-ice valve with chronic problems
   ◦ Analyzed field parts to determine root cause of compression spring failure
   ◦ Took initiative to move project forward and complete two design concepts for testing
   ◦ Consulted with machine shop to design manufacturable parts
   ◦ Collaborated with dynamicists to formulate vibration test procedure
• Edited drawings and explored re-usability of current valves to assist in the proposal process

Brian Mejeur