I'm Brendan Szuwalski.
I'm a Delft, Netherlands based Mechanical Engineer and Polymer Composites researcher applying my skills to bring about a sustainable, exciting future of personal transportation and consumption.
Start scrolling and learn more about me.
About Me
I am a mechanical engineer with a wide array of experiences that have given me a much broader perspective than that of many mechanical engineers. I think there are a few key things that really set me apart. Calculated risks are second nature to me, whether it's custom, single piece, center lock racing wheels for Baja SAE or gear-less gearboxes for Formula Student. I believe engineers should test the boundaries of design methodologies thought to be standard as long as they are able to justify the risks. I believe I excel at balancing design creativity and ingenuity with acceptable risk and have many years of student design team work to back it up. Secondly, I've experienced failure as both an engineer and a leader. But I learned from those failures and rebounded to become a more delegatory, trusting leader who acts as more of an enabler and coordinator to my team members success instead of trying to drag them to it. Finally, I have an immense amount of experience in working in extremely diverse teams. I have attended two universities with large international populations and have spent 6 years on design teams working with teammates representing over 40 nations.
Contact Details
Brendan Szuwalski
Kerkstraat 11A
2611GX Delft, South Holland
The Netherlands
+31 06 25 20 98 67
+1 214 803 3667
Education
Delft University of Technology
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
July, 2020 (Expected), GPA: 7.3/10
I attend the Delft University of Technology where I am working toward a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, focusing on Vehicle Engineering with a specialization in Materials. My thesis work is on modeling the behavior of plastic-plastic composites with the ultimate goal of tailoring the material properties of recycled plastic-plastic composites to recover the economic value of the recycled plastics.
Completed courses in:
Advanced Heat Transfer, Automotive Human Factors, Corrosion Engineering, Design of Self-healing Materials, Fiber-reinforced Polymer Structures, Intelligent Vehicles, Introduction to Wind Turbines: Physics, Joining Technologies, Materials for Lightweight Constructions, Nonlinear Mechanics, Physics and Measurement, Science of Failure, Vehicle Dynamics
Johns Hopkins University
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
May 2018, GPA: 3.56/4.0
I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The Johns Hopkins University. I was a four year member of the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jay Racing team. During my final year I was elected captain of the team.
Awards:
· Best Senior Design Project Winner - Whiting School of Engineering Design Day
· Student Leadership Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Groups
· Deans List: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015
Powertrain and Drivetrain Engineer
September 2018 - Present
I am currently in my second season on the Formula Student team at Delft, DUT Racing - a group of student who design, build and compete with an electric, single seat, formula-style race car. During my first season on DUT, I was a Powertrain engineer tasked with motor selection and the design of the motor components. After completion of this project I worked on the electrical wiring for the car.
This season I am a Drivetrain engineer. I am tasked with designing the Innerwheel subsystem, a complex system containing the transmission, uprights, hub, and motor mounting.
For more information on my projects, methods, achievements and photos of DUT,
visit this page.
Suspension Lead and Team Captain
September 2014 - June 2018
I was a four year member of the Johns Hopkins Baja SAE team, Blue Jay Racing. During my first year on the team I trained to become the team's welder. As such, I spent much of my first year training in the machine shop and practicing my welding technique. Despite this time commitment, I also took on the responsibility of designing the steering rack. I improved the steering rack over the previous designs by reducing mass and overall footprint. When it was time to manufacture the car I was responsible for all of the welding - both in our custom roll cage and in our suspension linkages. In my second season, I designed the car's frame. After having welded the frame during the previous year I determined that I could design a more welder friendly frame than was done in the prior years. I leaned on that experience to design what was, at the time, our lightest and most accurate frame yet and made structural changes to the team that enabled lighter and more accurate frames after me.
During my third year I began to move away from being a design engineer to more of a subsystem manager. I took over the suspension system architecture and design. With a focus on early season testing and sensitivity studies, I designed a suspension that was more friendly to less skilled drivers, which is all the team had access to. Finally, in my fourth year, I was elected Team Captain. In this role I acted as the Project Manager, Chief Engineer and Acquisitions manager for the team.
For more information on my tasks, methods, achievement and photos of Blue Jay Racing, visit this page.
Team Allegion Member
September 2017 - May 2018
For the Senior Capstone project of my Bachelor's degree at The Johns Hopkins University I worked in a group of 4 students who partnered with global security company, Allegion. We were tasked with designing an automated entry system that is able to retract both the deadbolt and the latch, enabling easy entry for those with their hands full or disabilities.
Our project resulted in a prototype that was able to withstand nearly 49,000 cycles of testing without failure. At the end of the year we were awarded the Best Project award at the Whiting School of Engineering's Spring Design Day. The project has since been taken over by a full design team in Bangalore, India for preparation for market and has patents being filed.
For more information on Team Allegion and photos, visit this page.
Chief Structural Engineer
February 2019 - June 2019
The Delft University Wind Turbine Team is a newly founded student design team dedicated to more sustainable energy generation utilizing the distributed generation of power. I acted as the structural engineer, designing the base and main shaft of the turbine. The team's top level concept was for a turbine with very low manufacturing cost and simple design. These choices led to the turbine base being adjustable to accommodate rotors of different size and power. This resulted in the turbine with the lowest cost of construction at the competition and the fourth highest power generated to cost ratio.
For more information on DUWT and photos, visit this page.
Intern III
June 2018 - August 2018
During my Internship at Thorlabs I designed, prototyped and built two automated systems for use in the clean room during the production of laser systems. The first of these systems was an automated quality control system that was able to test eight laser chips before they're integrated into their housings. The second system was an automated "pigtailing" system for the assembly and sealing of the laser systems.
For more information on my tasks, and achievements at Thorlabs,
visit this page.
For information on my other Professional experience, visit this page.
Solidworks
CATIA V6
Creo/Pro Engineer
Technical Drawings
GD&T
Leadership
Abaqus
Material Analysis and Selection
Communication
Code Compliant Design
Parameter Driven CAD
Skeleton Modeling
Education
Delft University of Technology
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
July, 2020 (Expected), GPA: 7.3/10
I attend the Delft University of Technology where I am working toward a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, focusing on Vehicle Engineering with a specialization in Materials. My thesis work is on modeling the behavior of plastic-plastic composites with the ultimate goal of tailoring the material properties of recycled plastic-plastic composites to recover the economic value of the recycled plastics.
Completed courses in:
Advanced Heat Transfer, Automotive Human Factors, Corrosion Engineering, Design of Self-healing Materials, Fiber-reinforced Polymer Structures, Intelligent Vehicles, Introduction to Wind Turbines: Physics, Joining Technologies, Materials for Lightweight Constructions, Nonlinear Mechanics, Physics and Measurement, Science of Failure, Vehicle Dynamics
Johns Hopkins University
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
May 2018, GPA: 3.56/4.0
I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The Johns Hopkins University. I was a four year member of the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jay Racing team. During my final year I was elected captain of the team.
Awards:
· Best Senior Design Project Winner - Whiting School of Engineering Design Day
· Student Leadership Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Groups
· Deans List: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015
Powertrain and Drivetrain Engineer
September 2018 - Present
I am currently in my second season on the Formula Student team at Delft, DUT Racing - a group of student who design, build and compete with an electric, single seat, formula-style race car. During my first season on DUT, I was a Powertrain engineer tasked with motor selection and the design of the motor components. After completion of this project I worked on the electrical wiring for the car.
This season I am a Drivetrain engineer. I am tasked with designing the Innerwheel subsystem, a complex system containing the transmission, uprights, hub, and motor mounting.
For more information on my projects, methods, achievements and photos of DUT,
visit this page.
Suspension Lead and Team Captain
September 2014 - June 2018
I was a four year member of the Johns Hopkins Baja SAE team, Blue Jay Racing. During my first year on the team I trained to become the team's welder. As such, I spent much of my first year training in the machine shop and practicing my welding technique. Despite this time commitment, I also took on the responsibility of designing the steering rack. I improved the steering rack over the previous designs by reducing mass and overall footprint. When it was time to manufacture the car I was responsible for all of the welding - both in our custom roll cage and in our suspension linkages. In my second season, I designed the car's frame. After having welded the frame during the previous year I determined that I could design a more welder friendly frame than was done in the prior years. I leaned on that experience to design what was, at the time, our lightest and most accurate frame yet and made structural changes to the team that enabled lighter and more accurate frames after me.
During my third year I began to move away from being a design engineer to more of a subsystem manager. I took over the suspension system architecture and design. With a focus on early season testing and sensitivity studies, I designed a suspension that was more friendly to less skilled drivers, which is all the team had access to. Finally, in my fourth year, I was elected Team Captain. In this role I acted as the Project Manager, Chief Engineer and Acquisitions manager for the team.
For more information on my tasks, methods, achievement and photos of Blue Jay Racing, visit this page.
Team Allegion Member
September 2017 - May 2018
For the Senior Capstone project of my Bachelor's degree at The Johns Hopkins University I worked in a group of 4 students who partnered with global security company, Allegion. We were tasked with designing an automated entry system that is able to retract both the deadbolt and the latch, enabling easy entry for those with their hands full or disabilities.
Our project resulted in a prototype that was able to withstand nearly 49,000 cycles of testing without failure. At the end of the year we were awarded the Best Project award at the Whiting School of Engineering's Spring Design Day. The project has since been taken over by a full design team in Bangalore, India for preparation for market and has patents being filed.
For more information on Team Allegion and photos, visit this page.
Chief Structural Engineer
February 2019 - June 2019
The Delft University Wind Turbine Team is a newly founded student design team dedicated to more sustainable energy generation utilizing the distributed generation of power. I acted as the structural engineer, designing the base and main shaft of the turbine. The team's top level concept was for a turbine with very low manufacturing cost and simple design. These choices led to the turbine base being adjustable to accommodate rotors of different size and power. This resulted in the turbine with the lowest cost of construction at the competition and the fourth highest power generated to cost ratio.
For more information on DUWT and photos, visit this page.
Intern III
June 2018 - August 2018
During my Internship at Thorlabs I designed, prototyped and built two automated systems for use in the clean room during the production of laser systems. The first of these systems was an automated quality control system that was able to test eight laser chips before they're integrated into their housings. The second system was an automated "pigtailing" system for the assembly and sealing of the laser systems.
For more information on my tasks, and achievements at Thorlabs,
visit this page.
For information on my other Professional experience, visit this page.
CATIA V6
Creo/Pro Engineer
Technical Drawings
GD&T
Leadership
Abaqus
Material Analysis and Selection
Communication
Code Compliant Design
Parameter Driven CAD
Skeleton Modeling
Education
Delft University of Technology
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
August, 2020 (Expected), GPA: 7.3/10
I attend the Delft University of Technology where I am working toward completing a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, focusing on Vehicle Engineering with a specialization in Materials. My thesis work concerns modeling the behavior of plastic-plastic composites with the ultimate goal of tailoring the material properties of recycled plastic-plastic composites to recover the economic value of the recycled plastics.
Completed courses in:
Advanced Heat Transfer; Automotive Human Factors; Corrosion Engineering; Design of Self-healing Materials; Fiber-reinforced Polymer Structures; Intelligent Vehicles; Introduction to Wind Turbines: Physics; Joining Technologies; Materials for Lightweight Constructions; Nonlinear Mechanics; Physics and Measurement; Science of Failure; Vehicle Dynamics
Johns Hopkins University
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
May 2018, GPA: 3.56/4.0
I earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The Johns Hopkins University. I was a four year member of the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jay Racing team. During my final year I was elected captain of the team.
Awards:
· Best Senior Design Project Winner - Whiting School of Engineering Design Day
· Student Leadership Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Groups
· Deans List: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2015
Powertrain and Drivetrain Engineer
September 2018 - Present
I am currently in my second season on the Formula Student team at Delft, DUT Racing - a group of students who design, build and compete with an electric, single seat, formula-style race car. During my first season on DUT, I was a Powertrain engineer tasked with motor selection and the design of the motor components. After completion of this project I worked on the electrical wiring for the car.
This season I am a Drivetrain engineer. I am tasked with designing the Innerwheel subsystem, a complex system containing the transmission, uprights, hub, and motor mounting.
For more information on my projects, methods, achievements and photos of DUT,
visit this page.
Suspension Lead and Team Captain
September 2014 - June 2018
I was a four year member of the Johns Hopkins Baja SAE team, Blue Jay Racing. During my first year on the team I trained to become the team's welder. As such, I spent much of my first year training in the machine shop and practicing my welding technique. Despite this time commitment, I also took on the responsibility of designing the steering rack. I improved the steering rack over the previous designs by reducing mass and overall footprint. When it was time to manufacture the car I was responsible for all of the welding - both for our custom roll cage and for our suspension linkages. In my second season, I designed the frame of the car. After having welded the frame during the previous year I determined that I could design a frame that was easier for welder to fabricate. I leaned on that experience to design what was, at the time, our lightest and most accurate frame yet and made structural changes to the engineering and procurement process that enabled lighter and more accurate frames for future iterations of the vehicle.
During my third year I began to move away from being a design engineer to more of a subsystem manager. I took over responsibility for suspension system architecture and design. With a focus on early season testing and sensitivity studies, I designed a suspension that was more friendly to drivers across a wide range of drive skill level. Finally, in my fourth year, I was elected Team Captain. In this role I acted as the Project Manager, Chief Engineer and Acquisitions Manager for the team.
For more information on my tasks, methods, achievement and photos of Blue Jay Racing, visit this page.
Team Allegion Member
September 2017 - May 2018
For the Senior Capstone project of my Bachelor's degree at The Johns Hopkins University, I worked in a group of 4 students who partnered with the global security company Allegion to design an automated entry system that is able to retract both the deadbolt and the latch, enabling easy entry for those with their hands full or with disabilities.
Our project resulted in a prototype design that was able to withstand nearly 49,000 cycles of testing without failure. At the end of the year we were awarded the Best Project award at the Whiting School of Engineering's Spring Design Day. The project has since been taken over by a full design team in Bangalore, India for the preparation of a commercial project for market. Because of the potential value of the product, a patent application has been filed to protect the design.
For more information on Team Allegion and photos, visit this page.
Chief Structural Engineer
February 2019 - June 2019
The Delft University Wind Turbine Team is a newly founded student design team dedicated to more sustainable energy generation utilizing the distributed generation of power. I acted as the structural engineer, with responsibility for designing the base and main shaft of the turbine. The team's top level concept was for a turbine with very low manufacturing cost and simple design. These choices necessitated designing an adjustable turbine base suited to accommodate rotors of different size and power. As a result, the turbine had the lowest cost of construction at the competition and the fourth highest power generated to cost ratio.
For more information on DUWT and photos, visit this page.
Intern III
June 2018 - August 2018
During my Internship at Thorlabs I designed, prototyped and built two automated systems for use in the clean room during the production of laser systems. The first of these systems was an automated quality control system that was able to test eight laser chips before they're integrated into their housings. The second system was an automated "pigtailing" system for the assembly and sealing of the laser systems.
For more information on my tasks, and achievements at Thorlabs,
visit this page.
For information on my other Professional experience, visit this page.
