Electric Propulsion Engineer - R&D

Aug 2025 – Present | Navi Mumbai, India

• Orchestrated the technical roadmap for the first-generation sub-kW Hall Effect Thruster (up to 1 kW), leading trade studies across Electrostatic and Electromagnetic EP classes to define critical performance benchmarks while supporting detailed design iterations and test readiness.
• Orchestrated the technical roadmap and led development/upgrades of a high-vacuum testing facility (chamber, pumping, feed lines, diagnostics) with integrated diagnostic suite for Hall Effect Thruster (HET) initial research, characterization, and high-power propulsion testing; planned and executed vacuum test campaigns to evaluate thruster performance under relevant operating conditions.

Avionics Research Engineer

Nov 2024 – Present | Navi Mumbai, India

• Conducted extensive research on electric propulsion systems for aerospace applications, leading validation protocols and regulatory compliance efforts.
• Implemented systematic documentation processes and performance analysis frameworks, resulting in optimized system reliability and enhanced operational efficiency.

Avionics Research Trainee

Nov 2023 – Jul 2024 | Mumbai, India

• Managed the qualification process of materials, including overseeing testing, verification, and validation; conducted testing, verification, and validation of the electronic payload in CubeSat projects; performed circuit design and verification for the electronics package of the payload.
• Identified qualified vendors for required materials, assessed reputation, quality, pricing, lead times, warranties, and customer service; executed formal purchase orders and facilitated material delivery after finalizing contractual terms.

Tools: KiCad, LTSpice, LabVIEW

• Integrated ArduPilot and PX4 autopilot stacks for multirotor and VTOL platforms, performing flightstack configuration, parameter tuning, and mission setup using MAV Proxy and SITL environments.
• Implemented Software-In-The-Loop (SITL) simulations using ArduPilot (sim_vehicle.py) with a dual-PC setup, coupling Linux-based SITL execution to RealFlight for real-time flight visualization and physics validation.
• Configured custom RealFlight flight models (.RFX) and parameter files to validate autonomous flight modes, failsafe behavior, waypoint navigation, and survey missions prior to hardware deployment;
• Executed guided, auto, and mission-based flight profiles (takeoff, waypoint navigation, landing, RTL) through command-line MAVLink messaging and mission editor workflows, including continuation of missions after landing.;
• Applied flight dynamics and six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) modeling concepts using JSBSim to understand aircraft motion, stability, and control behavior, linking physics-based FDM principles with autopilot simulation results;
• Designed and validated basic custom PCBs for UAV subsystems,covering schematic design, PCB layout, and initial bring-up. Covering schematic design, layout, and basic bring-up.
• Tools: Ardupilot, Ubuntu, RealFlight, PX4, Bash, ROS, C++, Python, Kicad.

• Developed an end-to-end IoT system using ESP32, implementing sensor/actuator interfacing, Wi-Fi connectivity, and embedded firmware in C/C++ across the full IoT lifecycle (sense–connect–collect–act).
• Implemented lightweight cloud communication using MQTT, HTTP, and WebSocket protocols to stream real-time telemetry and enable bidirectional command/control with IoT platforms (ThingSpeak, Adafruit IO).
• Designed and validated a Smart Home prototype with remote device control via a Google Assistant–integrated web interface, demonstrating device-to-cloud-to-user automation.
• Evaluated and integrated multiple sensors and actuators, mapping electrical characteristics and communication constraints to practical consumer and industrial IoT use cases.
• Tools: ThingSpeak, Adafruit IO, Heroku.