Steve Pearce

Experience

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  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  May 2005 - Jul 2007

  Technical Intern/Post Bachelors Intern

  During the summers of 2005 and 2006 I was a technical intern at PNNL, working with Dr. Mary Bliss in the Radiation Detection and Nuclear Sciences Group. My work was focused in a number of areas, but main in neutron detection. Dr. Bliss has developed a scintillating glass fiber which is sensitive to thermal neutrons, and during the fall of 2006 I conducted an independent research project at the Washington State University nuclear reactor to characterize the response of this fiber in a high-flux environment. Upon graduating from WSU that year, I began my work full-time at PNNL in the winter/spring of 2007 and continued until the summer. During this period my research was centered around the Radiation Portal Monitor Project (seeking to detect radioactive material as it enters the US), the Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material Skin-Depth project, and the Unattended Sensors project. Show less

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  Washington State University

  Jan 2006 - May 2006

  Undergraduate TA

  I was an undergraduate TA for an intro calculus-based physics course. My duties were to lead a laboratory session of ~25 students and help them complete their lab/homework assignments.

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  Simon Fraser University

  Jan 2008 - Sept 2014

  PhD: The goals of my doctoral research were to improve the shallow-water surveying capabilities of a sidescan sonar system. In shallow water, where the surface and seafloor are within view of the sidescan sonar system, signals may scatter or reflect off either boundary. Resulting sidescan images may be contaminated with interference which then frustrates classification and target identification. My research is focused on using beamforming to reduce the sensitivity of the system to multipath interference, facilitating downstream processing and allowing for surveys to be conducted in more environments (such as ports and harbors, or busy waterways).MASc: My research involved implementing and comparing velocity estimation techniques. This investigation involved theory, simulation, and experimentation, all of which was focused on sonar signal processing. Show less

  • Research Assistant/Grad Student

    Aug 2007 - Sept 2014

  • TA

    Jan 2008 - Aug 2013
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  Kongsberg Mesotech Ltd.

  Nov 2014 - Jan 2018

  As a System Engineer, I have been privileged to accept the role of Project Manager / Project Engineer on a handful of different projects. Two of the largest projects include:- Electronics board re-spinResponsible for re-spinning an essential board that is used in most of our products. Managed a six member team on a project involving aspects of board schematic/layout changes, chip/component selection, new firmware/software, and documentation. Coordinated the team's efforts and report directly to the Engineering Manager, providing an interface between the Engineering team and other departments (Service, Production, Product Group) to ensure suitability of the end product. Responsible for creating a detailed description of the signal path/processing, and also for creating and conducting the DVT (including board-level and system-level/field tests). - Legacy Product Enhancement and Obsolescence ManagementResponsible for upgrading a legacy product that is affected by component obsolescence. The end result is a product that, when compared to its predecessor, offers significantly improved imaging performance, has an identical form factor and user 'feel', and may continue to be manufactured at our factory for years to come. This project involved a team of five people and concerned mostly mechanical and electrical engineering, as other aspects of this project had been completed before my involvement. Show less Selected Achievements:- Developed motion compensation algorithm (result: provides greatly improved image quality and estimates of platform velocity);- Authored the DVTs for multiple software releases(result: identified critical bugs before SW release, facilitating timely delivery 6 robust SW release packages to our customers);- Managed and assisted with the testing activities of co-op students(results: increased confidence in the quality of the SW release; increased ability to identify and acquire entry-level talent);- Contributed to the team during the design phase (UX and Requirements definition) for software releases;- Assisted with system-level testing of multiple sonar systems (bench tests, field tests) and with creation of Factory Acceptance Tests for multiple products. Show less

  • System Engineer / Project Manager

    Jul 2016 - Jan 2018

  • Sonar Signal Processing Analyst

    Nov 2014 - Jul 2016
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  ASL Environmental Sciences

  Jan 2018 - now

  • Manager and technical lead for R&D projects related to the Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler (AZFP) calibrated scientific echosounder; • Business development with emphasis on professors, government researchers, and grad students practicing in the fields of Oceanography, Ecology, and Biology; • Technical resource for ASL’s Consulting Services division, providing acoustics expertise (e.g. algorithm development), project management, and local field work. • Marketing of ASL’s products and consulting capabilities via publication or presentation of technical papers at academic conferences or trade shows. Show less • Technical lead for internal and external scientific and engineering projects involving the Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler (AZFP) calibrated scientific echosounder;• Point of contact for researchers working with the AZFP, responsible for understanding client research projects, client needs, and providing application-specific advice;• Collaborator with ASL’s suppliers, responsible for requirements definition, design validation/verification testing, and internal test procedures on supplied goods;• Author of technical papers and presenter at technical conferences and trade shows;• Responsible for providing final approval of all manufactured and serviced AZFPs. Show less

  • Acoustics Scientist & AZFP Product Manager

    Jan 2020 - now

  • Acoustics Scientist

    Jan 2018 - Jan 2020