KAUSTHUB SEKAR
Natick,MA
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Senior Triage Engineer, Team Lead
Motional AD
05.2023 - Current
- Led cross-functional team specializing in Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Fault Tree Assessment (FTA), and Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) across various test modalities and AV stack components, including perception, prediction, planning, controls, and drive-by-wire.
- Synthesized holistic AV performance metrics and summaries for organizational-level consumption, facilitating informed decision-making and optimizing system reliability and performance.
- Identified and promoted Best Known Release builds on a regular cadence, coordinating release performance with software groups and objectively evaluating the impact of software changes on vehicle performance.
Triage Engineer
Motional
02.2022 - 05.2023
- Conducted thorough Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Fault Tree Assessment (FTA), and Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) across diverse test environments, including public roads, closed courses, simulation scenarios, and Hardware-in-Loop (HIL) setups.
- Synthesized test output data analysis to align with Systems Safety requirements for expected AV behavior.
- Fostered close collaboration with software development teams to maintain a rapport for rapid and iterative feedback loops.
- Developed and maintained product and system level AV performance metrics to drive development priorities.
Quality Operations Specialist
Waymo
08.2020 - 02.2022
- Perform root-cause analysis to determine on-road problems faced by self-driving cars
- Co-ordinate with various engineering departments as the primary point of contact to help investigate on-road issues faced by self driving vehicles
- Mentor and train incoming employees on processes and tools used within Waymo.
Test Engineer
Humans & Autonomy Lab, Duke University
10.2019 - 05.2020
- Tested the effects of autonomous vehicles on human interaction
- Used data analysis and developed models to mirror cognitive behaviors of drone operators over a sustained training period
- Testing the quality of the safety behaviors of self-driving cars under simulated conditions.
Graduate Researcher
Humans & Autonomy Lab, Duke University
08.2017 - 05.2019
- Ran human factors experiments, and used data analysis and machine learning models, specifically Hidden Markov Models to train operator behaviors
- Research Project #1: Determined UAV/UGV Training Effectiveness as Autonomy Increases
- Conducted data analysis on human factors experiments run on a drone simulator
- Research Project #2: Modeled the impact of Increasing Autonomy on core cognitive ability in Unmanned System operation
- Developed a framework that depicts the impact of different levels of unmanned vehicle autonomy on operator performances and core cognitive abilities (SRKE behavior)
- Trained operators in different levels of autonomy for drone control.
Intern; Production Division
Toyota Kirloskar Motor
06.2018 - 07.2018
- Researched, designed and implemented measures to improve quality standardization and operating procedures of paint booths
- Increased quality operation efficiency by 60% within one paint booth, and 45% within another.
Education
Master of Science - Mechanical Engineering
Duke University
Durham, NC 07.2017 - 05.2019
Bachelor of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
Visvesvaraya Technological University
Karnataka, India 07.2013 - 06.2017
Skills
- MATLAB
- SolidWorks
- CATIA
- ANSYS
- MS Word
- MS PowerPoint
- MS Excel
- Project Planning
- Technical reporting
- Engineering Documentation
- Root Cause Analysis
- Project Management
Timeline
Senior Triage Engineer, Team Lead
Motional AD
05.2023 - Current
Triage Engineer
Motional
02.2022 - 05.2023
Quality Operations Specialist
Waymo
08.2020 - 02.2022
Test Engineer
Humans & Autonomy Lab, Duke University
10.2019 - 05.2020
Intern; Production Division
Toyota Kirloskar Motor
06.2018 - 07.2018
Graduate Researcher
Humans & Autonomy Lab, Duke University
08.2017 - 05.2019
Master of Science - Mechanical Engineering
Duke University
07.2017 - 05.2019
Bachelor of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
Visvesvaraya Technological University
07.2013 - 06.2017
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