Mechanical Project Engineer
“Never stop learning, be eager for it. Take risks and learn from your mistakes, they will happen. Repeat.”
Todd’s career path began at UCSB majoring in Mechanical Engineering, later switching to Physics and receiving his Bachelor’s Degree. Throughout his time at UCSB and after his graduation, Todd was employed seasonally as an ocean lifeguard in Oxnard CA for 12 years and was a practicing EMT throughout the last 4. He maintained this seasonal position while a full-time student and later as a working professional.
After Todd finished his degree at the end of 2009, he was hired with a small optomechanical engineering consulting firm based out of Newbury Park CA. There he learned how to work with optical systems, designing and building opto-mechanical devices, and working in production-level environments for robotic systems. After some time working with that company, as it evolved into an optics research tank for a larger international corporation, Todd left his role as Manufacturing Engineer in 2013 to join LCO as Mechanical Project Engineer for a new spectroscope project.
Todd worked closely with the team of LCO scientists and engineers to develop an instrument capable of discovering new planets through the precise analysis of starlight. Over the last 7+ years, Todd has travelled the world deploying the spectroscopes and supporting an array of LCO instrumentation. Currently he is aiding in the deployment of two more LCO 1.0m telescope systems to complete LCO’s Northern ring by the summer of 2021.
In between his travels and job duties, Todd spends much of his time surfing, spearfishing, and just being outside as much as he can.
