Mohamed Abid

 

EDUCATION

 

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Southern California, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, CA, USA 2/1999

Master of Science, Ecole Polytechnique, Orsay, France 6/1994

 

 

EXPERIENCE

 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA, Pasadena, CA

 

·         Mars Volcanic Emission and Life Scout (MARVEL) Lead System Engineer (LSE) From 11/09 to 1/10

o    Investigated Cost strategies

o    Reviewed mission scenario / design and started a sensitivity analysis

o    Reviewed proposed instruments, and spacecraft and assessed programmatic and technical risks

 

·         Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Flight System Systems Engineer Lead (FSE) From 01/2007 to Now

o    Mission Ops and IOC with an emphasis on ADCS performance, FP, and critical events

o    Responsible for architecture, requirements, and interfaces at the Flight system level

o    Responsible for technical and I&T matters on the WISE Flight System

o    Lead the WISE V&V and I&T activities to ensure proper coordination, risk assessment, and campaign integrity

o    Lead the L2 MST, which is a combination of fault protection and traditional MSTs to contain cost and schedule and ensure adequate testing

o    Lead Fault Protection testing of critical event on Dev bench, Test bench, and flight system, procedure and fault injection strategies development suing WTTCS and OASIS

o    Lead the V&V working group to identify issues, work on resolution plan, and discuss processes, procedures, and tests with BATC / SDL / IPAC / UCLA / JPL

o    Supported various successful reviews including Mission CDR, IIRT Briefing, Sun/Earth Pointing Prevention System and Fault Protection review, MOS CDR, ITL and TLYF, Test Readiness Review (TRR) for IMS, TMDS, SCA

o    Lead the Calibration and Characterization Working group to ensure adequate planning for MIC2 testing

o    Lead the Contamination Working Group with BATC / SDL / JPL

o    Lead the EMI / EMC Working Group to ensure that risks are understood and mitigation are properly pursued with BATC / SDL / JPL

o    Held successfully the WISE Project V&V and I&T Review, the ITL and TLYF Exceptions reviews with OCE / 5X / div. 35 / BATC / SDL

o    Formulated a risk based approach for the WISE ad-hoc environmental program

o    Released the Test Like You Fly (TLYF) Exceptions document after Project and Director For sign-off

o    Co-authored the following SPIE paper “Unique Integration and Test Philosophy for The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Flight System” and attended the conference

o    Co-authored the AAS poster “Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Calibration Plans and Status”

·         Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) Engineer Technical Authority (ETA) From 01/2007 to 10/2008

o    Provided weekly technical status of OSTM to the ETA Manager and OCE. This status is incorporated in the ETA Weekly Report, which is a compilation of all JPL ETAs and the ETA Office status. This report is distributed to OCE, Director For and associated principles

o    Conducted and provided independent technical assessment when needed

o    Ensured that all JPL rules, design principles, and flight project practices are implemented per NASA and JPL polices and procedures

o    Compiled and presented the OSTM ETA assessment to the JPL Center Management Council (CMC)

o    Supported CoFR reviews and signed it

·         Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) project System Engineer From 05/2004 to 10/2008. Launched successfully on 06-20-2008 from VAFB

o    Responsible for OSTM project system engineering activities

o    Provided leadership and technical guidance to OSTM PEM, CogEs, and engineers for the Wide Swath Ocean Altimeter (WSOA), Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR), Global Positioning System Payload (GPSP), and Delta II Launch Vehicle.

o    Developed new processes and tailored existing ones to fit OSTM’s unique programmatic configuration

o    Lead all the technical discussions with CNES during face to face meetings or telecons to resolve, negotiate, and discuss L2 and L3 requirements / RecDels / processes / issues / schedule, instrument delivery and ATLO activities

o    Supported a dozen successful key reviews in Cannes and Toulouse - France: SC Pre-Ship Review (SPR), SC Qualification Review (SQR), Operational Readiness Review (ORR), Test Readiness Reviews (TRR) for TVAC, EMI/EMC, and dynamic testing, and associated Test Result Briefings (TRB)

o    Responsible for JPL / NASA technical interfaces, and planning decisions with CNES / Thales during ATLO activities at Thales, France

o    Held various successful key reviews such OSTM System Review, OSTM V&V Review, Alignment Review, OSTM DP and FPP review, ITL and TAYF Exceptions Review, Risk Review for the AMR/RSA, TIMs with CNES and the OSTM CoFR reviews that lead to sign-off by Director For and project, and release the certificate

o    Supported various successful key reviews: Mission Confirmation Review, OSTM GPMC, Mission PDR, Spacecraft PDR, Reflector Structure Assembly PDR and CDR, Interim Project Review, AMR / GPSP / LRA Pre-Ship reviews, MRB, Spacecraft CDR, Reflector Structure Assembly PDR and CDR, AMR HRCR and SRCR, GPSP HRCR and SRCR, TRR for AMR / GPSP / LRA, MIWG, GOWIG

o    Supported launch vehicle activities and reviews, such as Mission Integration Working Group (MIWG), Ground Operation Working Group (GOWG), SoftRide CDR, and Load and Structure Working Group (L&SWG)

o    Worked with the Project Office to compile the OSTM 7120.5C compliance matrix and waiver then submitted it to NASA HQ.

o    Managed OSTM Risks and generated OSTM ESTD monthly / quarterly risk chart

o    Evaluated, weekly WF and monthly cost variances and validated estimate to completion. Submitted liens for approval

o    Delivered the Laser RetroReflector Array (LRA) instrument to the OSTM Project after a successful LRA HRCR

o    Delivered the LRA, GPSP and AMR instruments to CNES / Alcatel for spacecraft integration

o    Delivered the OSTM spacecraft to VAFB. Green on schedule, technical, and cost

o    Helped, as the educator for the OSTM outreach program, the LILA school (K-12) to design, build, test, and monitor a buoy that was launched in Antarctica

·         Juno: Payload Standing Review Board (P-SRB) member From 02/2008 to 12/2008

o    Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) PDR, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) San Antonio, TX

o    Microwave Radiometer (MWR) PDR, JPL – Pasadena, CA

o    Waves, University of IowaIowa City

o    Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), Selex Galileo – Florence, Italy

o    The remaining couldn’t attend due to schedule conflict

·         JPL Mentor 2008

o    Mentored, on the span of 6 months, one new hire. This was part of JPL New Hire Mentoring Program

·         TeamX: System Engineer Chair 2006-2007, 2009 to now

o    Trained on SE Chair for two studies to learn how to shepherd studies through the customer preparation, real time design sessions and product production stages

 

John Wiley & Sons, England

·         Author of the technical / textbook: “Spacecraft Sensors”. ISBN: 0-470-86527-X. John Wiley & Sons - August 2005.

 

Rice Systems, Inc. Irvine, CA. Systems Engineer / Senior Scientist, 4 /1999 to 5/04

·         Principal Investigator:

o    Designed, built and tested a fiber optic based sensor to measure spacecraft’s contamination, Hall thruster plume diagnostic, and propulsion byproduct for Edwards Air-Force Base, CA

·         System Engineer:

o    Built a Cost Estimating model for out-of-range data for spacecraft systems using Kalman filter.

o    Developed a frame analysis algorithm for the new intelligent Integrated Hybrid System as a pattern recognition algorithm for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Al

o    Designed and built an all-optical nano-g Precision Orbital Micro-Accelerometer for Hanscom Air-Force Base, MA

o    Designed a Micro Thrusters Diagnostic using Integrated Optic for the Ballistic Missiles Defense Organization (BMDO), Washington DC

o    Designed, built, integrated and tested a three-axis electro-optic gyroscope for Yuma Army Base, Yuma, AZ

o    Developed and tested an image processor for CMOS based sensor for a glaucoma probe

 

University of Southern California, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Los Angeles, CA

Research Assistant Professor, 3/2001 to present, Associate Engineer, 1999 to 2001. Assistant Engineer, 1994 to 1999

·         Supported, as a Deputy-PI, hardware development, from design to operation, software, crew procedure, science operations and analysis of the payload SOFBALL (Structure Of Flame balls at Low Lewis number) that flew on various Space Shuttle Columbia missions STS-83, STS-94 and STS-107

·         Developed, designed, built and tested, as a Deputy-Principal Investigator, the space flight experiment: Front Interaction with Vortex Experiment (FIVE) at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). Cleveland, OH

·         Modeled the attitude control system for a micro-satellite in acquisition phase

·         Conducted thermal analysis, developed ground station and designed power and attitude control system for the USC Micro-Satellite project for Micro-Satellite laboratory at USC. Los Angeles, CA

·         Supported development flights on NASA’s DC-9 and KC-135 Micro-Gravity aircraft facilities (1860 parabolas) at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) for NASA’s Space Shuttle payload SOFBALL.

·         Performed tests in the 10-S drop tower facility as a joint research program between NASA and NEDO in the Japanese Micro-Gravity Center (JAMIC). Hokkaido, Japan

·         Lectured the course “Spacecraft Sensors”, a senior class at USC for the Aerospace and Astronautics programs

·         Lectured the course “Spacecraft Dynamics”, a senior class at USC for the Aerospace and Astronautics programs

·         Studied the interaction between propagating fronts and vortices created by a magneto-hydrodynamic system at Haverford University, Philadelphia, PA

·         Consulted in the areas of heat transfer, airplane design and micro-turbine.

 

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), University Extension, Los Angeles, CA and TRW, El Segundo, CA - Lecturer, 9/2001 to 2006

·         Lectured the courses: “Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control”, “Spacecraft Sensors” and “Spacecraft Structure design and analysis”

 

Ecole Polytechniques, Orsay, France. Assistant Engineer , 1993 to 1994

·         Studied coupled water jet network dynamics: multiple jets interaction, stable, and unstable states. Commissariat of Atomic Energy (CEA). Paris, France

·         Characterized stability of Latex suspension through their ability to be flocculated by hydrodynamic stress: studied colloids, D.L.V.O. theory, turbidity, granulometry, aggregation, and adsorption mechanisms. French Institute of Petrol (IFP). Paris, France

 

University of Paris VII, Paris, France. Assistant Engineer, 1991 to 1993

·         Calibrated and performed laser velocimetry and granulometry diagnostics. Aerothermic Laboratory of Meudon.

·         Fabricated and analyzed quantum wires using Focused Ion Beam Lithography, Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Lithography, Photo Luminescence Spectroscopy at low temperature (4K). Micro Structures and Micro-Electronic Laboratories (L2M). Paris

·         Analyzed and simulated experimental results of hadronic and electromagnetic calorimeter SPACAL (SPAghetti CALorimeter: Lead/Scintillating-Fiber calorimeter) at high energy (10 to 40Gev). Nuclear Physique and High Energies Laboratory (LPNHE). Paris, France

·         Performed Calorimeter tests at low energy (1 to 10Gev) and analyzed preliminary results. European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN). Geneva, Switzerland

·         Studied Particle Metallic Cluster Aggregation using capillarity, fractals, percolation and Knight model. Experimental Physics Laboratory, University of Paris VII. Paris, France

·         Tutored Naval and other students in Physics, Math and Chemistry

 

PATENTS

 

Provisional Patent No. 60/235,600 for Contamination Monitoring of Spacecraft

 

HONORS AND AWARDS

 

 

LANGUAGES AND COMPUTER SKILLS

 

Fluent in Arabic, French, and English. Intermediate in Spanish. Beginner in Russian

TurboC, Unix, Fortran, MatLab, HTML, AutoCad, Cantata, Fluent, Solid and Cosmos works, LabView, STK, Python, and more

 

INTERESTS

 

Instructing: tennis, windsurfing, snowboarding, surfing, kite boarding, horseback riding and dancing

Sailing crewmember on a Peterson 44. Directed two short films