Juleigh Giddens
Mukilteo,WA
Summary
High voltage electrical engineer experienced in research and development, multidisciplinary system design, system test regulatory compliance, safety training, department management, lab management, and team leadership. Versatile electrical engineer with career emphasis in electric power and pulsed power for military applications. Demonstrated experience in design and integration of specialized power systems, including analog and digital circuit design of low voltage systems that coexist with them. Extensive experience with high voltage capacitors, batteries, and high voltage switches.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Engineering Manager, Applied Pulsed Power
Zap Energy, Inc.
02.2023 - Current
- Led cross-functional teams for successful design, development, build, and commissioning of megajoule-class pulsed power systems for nuclear fusion research
- Enhanced overall team productivity with continuous training and mentoring of junior engineers
- Produced risk assessments during project planning phases, proactively mitigating potential issues before execution stages
- Wrote and maintained technical requirements and verification matrices
- Converted a pulsed power system for operation at four times original voltages through Marx configuration at instant of firing
- Worked with a variety of high current switches, including IGBTs, puck thyristors, Solidtrons, ignitrons, and spark gaps
Senior Principal Engineer
Mission Support and Test Services
10.2021 - 02.2023
- Served as Electrical Safety Subject Matter Expert for all of Nevada National Security Site
- Mentored early-career engineers and interns in pulsed power, high voltage safety, project planning & estimation, and technical writing
- Wrote proposals for research and development projects
- Developed course material for working with high voltage capacitors, high energy battery banks, and pulsed power systems
- Worked with Department of Energy national laboratories to ensure that planned testing would validate project technical requirements
- Held Q clearance
Pulsed Power Electrical Engineer
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems
04.2018 - 09.2021
- Managed General Atomics Pulsed Power Laboratory and led safety training for pulsed power engineers and technicians
- Served as Electrical Safety Authority for high power labs, performing hazard identification and risk analysis and writing hazardous work authorization documents
- Ensured compliance with NFPA70E and relevant OSHA guidelines
- Determined appropriate approach boundaries for electrical systems based on arc flash calculations and voltage
- Performed failure investigations of high current and high voltage equipment based on physical evidence and measured data
- Designed, built, and tested high voltage weapon systems
- Designed high voltage, high energy circuits and low voltage control and monitoring circuits that must coexist in extreme electromagnetic and environmental conditions
- Led teams of electrical and mechanical engineers, physicists, and technicians in design and development of electrical systems
- Interfaced with customers to define system requirements, deliverables, and set program schedules
- Managed projects to deliver technically challenging products on time and on budget
- Wrote technical, cost, and labor sections of proposals in competitive bid processes
- Held US Top Secret clearance
Senior Principal Electrical Engineer
BAE Systems
06.2007 - 03.2018
- Designed, built, and tested high-voltage weapon and electromagnetic armor systems, including systems based on pulsed power; performed analog and digital circuit design and simulation
- Managed BAE Systems Pulsed Power laboratory and led hazardous voltage safety training for pulsed power engineers and technicians
- Created course material and led Arc Flash/Arc Blast safety training throughout BAE Systems North American locations
- Performed arc flash calculations and determined appropriate approach boundaries for high voltage electrical systems
- Was lead electrical engineer for design, build, integration, and verification testing to MIL-STD-810G for a high-voltage electric armor system in a Stryker vehicle
- Performed advanced predictive diagnostic and evaluation of electrical insulation
- Selected electrical components appropriate for harsh environments, including ballistic shock conditions, transportation vibration, EMI, high altitude, and temperature extremes
- Performed simulations of complex high voltage and low voltage circuit behavior using SPICE and FEA tools
- Interfaced with military customers in determining and meeting their technical and programmatic needs on multimillion dollar contracts
- Developed technical requirements and requirements flow-down documents for complex technical projects
- Wrote articles for publication in technical journals and presentation at professional conferences, including IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, IEEE Power Modulator Conference, EML Symposium
- Wrote technical sections of proposals in competitive bid processes
- Wrote test plans and reports for complex high voltage tests and experiments
- Provided high-voltage and electrical fault analysis consulting services to Army Programs and Navy
- Held US Secret Clearance
Senior Device Engineer
Medtronic, Inc
07.2006 - 06.2007
- Developed device requirements documents and test procedures to ensure that federal regulatory and technical requirements were met
- Performed troubleshooting and design changes on high voltage defibrillation circuits
- Transitioned production of device electronics to new facility and new production technology
- Directed work of test technicians in production testing of prototype implantable medical devices
- Reviewed production test results and wrote final reports
- Contributed to reports for submission to US FDA
Staff Electrical Engineer
BAE Systems Inc
02.2001 - 07.2006
- Designed, built, and tested high-voltage weapon and armor systems, particularly systems based on pulsed power
- Was lead electrical engineer in the world's first integration and successful test of an electro-thermal chemical large caliber gun and pulsed power system in a combat vehicle (the M8 Armored Gun System)
- Performed analog and digital circuit design and simulation
- Performed failure analysis and subsequent screening of 600 V power system components in a Future Combat Systems prototype vehicle
- Performed electrical analysis and test to support qualification of the high voltage (600 V class) power for the Advanced Gun System for the US Navy
Applications Engineer
Power Diagnostix GmbH
05.2000 - 02.2001
- Provided on-site customer training and support for high voltage test equipment
- Performed on-site equipment demonstrations and installations
- Wrote articles for publication in technical journals and technical manuals for products
- Designed technical and sales brochures for high voltage insulation diagnostic products
Applied Research Engineer
Xcel Energy
04.1999 - 05.2000
- Designed, procured equipment for, constructed, and ran a laboratory for measurement of phase-resolved partial discharge patterns in high-voltage insulation
- Field tested underground distribution-class cables and accessories for insulation degradation
- Provided technical support and consulting to other engineers and to clients and managed internal research projects
Education
Master of Science - Electric Power Engineering
02.1999
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering
05.1997
Skills
- High voltage design
- High current design
- Prototyping
- Testing
- Mitigation of electromagnetic interference
- Development of hardened electronics for harsh environments
- Design and implementation of real-time combinational logic
- Design verification testing
- Digital circuit design
- Analog circuit design
- Advanced dielectric diagnostic methods
- Technical writing
- Personnel management
- Training
- Project management
- Budgeting
- Scheduling
- Electrical fault investigation
- Root cause analysis
- High voltage laboratory management
- Creation and administration of safety education materials
- Arc flash/Arc blast calculations
- Selection and maintenance of personal protective equipment
- MS Word
- MS Excel
- MS PowerPoint
- MS Project
- MS Visio
- ORCAD Capture
- ORCAD Layout
- PSpice
- LTSpice
- Ansys Maxwell
- Matlab
- Adobe PageMaker
- Adobe FrameMaker
- Acrobat Pro
- CorelDRAW
- Confluence / Jira
- SAP
- Slack
Active Q Clearance
- Active Q Clearance through Department of Energy
- Former Top Secret Clearance through Department of Defense
- Lapses in February 2025
Timeline
Engineering Manager, Applied Pulsed Power - Zap Energy, Inc.
02.2023 - Current
Senior Principal Engineer - Mission Support and Test Services
10.2021 - 02.2023
Pulsed Power Electrical Engineer - General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems
04.2018 - 09.2021
Senior Principal Electrical Engineer - BAE Systems
06.2007 - 03.2018
Senior Device Engineer - Medtronic, Inc
07.2006 - 06.2007
Staff Electrical Engineer - BAE Systems Inc
02.2001 - 07.2006
Applications Engineer - Power Diagnostix GmbH
05.2000 - 02.2001
Applied Research Engineer - Xcel Energy
04.1999 - 05.2000
Oklahoma State University - Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) - Master of Science, Electric Power Engineering
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