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zcohen-nerd

About

I'm an electromechanical systems integrator who works the boundaries where mechanical, electrical, controls, firmware, and manufacturing meet — de-risking system buildability and integration, and carrying field-deployable autonomous platforms from concept through live-water test. My work is hands-on across mechanical design, custom PCB development, and embedded controls.

Today I do that work professionally on autonomous maritime systems, teach CAD and mechatronics as adjunct faculty, and volunteer in FIRST Robotics Competition leadership. I'm a published co-author (IEEE/RSJ IROS, ICUAS) — building the hardware and running the experimental testing behind the data.

Professional Experience​

Senior Electromechanical Systems Engineer — BlackSea Technologies​

Baltimore, MD · 2025–Present

  • Cross-portfolio electromechanical systems integrator — reviewing designs across mechanical, electrical, controls, firmware, and manufacturing boundaries, and evaluating new projects at concept and mid-development for electromechanical feasibility.
  • Led all integration on an experimental autonomous hydrofoil under a 2-month sprint, delivering on schedule and passing sea trials; currently leading integration of a payload-release add-on for an autonomous surface vessel on a one-quarter timeline.
  • Make and defend cross-domain design decisions — release mechanisms, sealing architecture, connector selection, power distribution — under schedule and procurement constraints.

Industry Expert, Independent Consultant (Contract) — Tegus by AlphaSense​

Remote · 2026–Present

  • Paid industry expert for client research engagements spanning engineering, manufacturing, autonomous systems, defense technology, and PCB development — including screened engagements on the unmanned-maritime market outlook and on PCB design services and AI-assisted PCB tools.
  • Translate hands-on integration and manufacturing experience into decision-useful insight while maintaining strict boundaries around proprietary, confidential, controlled, and non-public information.

AI Training Expert, Fusion CAM (Contract) — Micro1​

Remote · 2026–Present

  • Lead beta-testing trainer generating expert training data for AI manufacturing models — developing Fusion CAM strategies while recording real-time reasoning around workholding, setup planning, tool selection, tolerances, and verification.
  • Help define the workflows, rubrics, and quality standards used by the broader expert team, and advise the client on practical limitations and capability gaps as a technical expert.

Electronics Technician (Engineering) — U.S. Naval Academy​

Weapons, Robotics & Controls Engineering Department · Annapolis, MD · 2023–2026

  • Designed and deployed 30+ custom PCBs for sensor integration, motion control, power distribution, and embedded processing across autonomous marine and robotics platforms.
  • Architected and deployed SURFER, a 20-vessel fleet of autonomous surface vessels for swarm and multi-agent research, using a dual–Raspberry Pi control architecture and standardized sensor-payload interfaces, across repeated live-water deployments.
  • Designed the electromechanical and PCB architecture for SENTRY, an open-source pan-tilt turret platform later released publicly by the institution.
  • Integrated sensors, actuators, embedded controllers, communications, and power electronics into field-deployable platforms; improved reliability through iterative field testing, fault isolation, and redundancy planning.

Adjunct Professor, Engineering Design — Anne Arundel Community College​

Arnold, MD · 2024–Present

  • Teach SolidWorks and advanced CAD for mechatronics and manufacturable part development — assemblies, drawings, tolerancing, and design-for-manufacturing. Students achieve a ~75% pass rate on the Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) exam.
  • Course design and outcomes are detailed in the Teaching Portfolio.

Mentor, Lead Mentor & Event Manager — FIRST Robotics Competition​

Maryland · 2006–Present

  • Two decades of volunteer leadership — founding student to lead mentor, judge, and district event manager, with statewide advocacy contributing to ~$250K in annual Maryland robotics funding. The full story is on the FIRST Robotics page.

Engineering Teacher & Program Lead — Various High Schools​

MD / PA · 2012–2022

  • Designed and built engineering fabrication labs (additive manufacturing, CNC, laser cutting, PCB/electronics prototyping) and the project-based curricula that ran in them.
  • Guided student teams through full mechanical/embedded design cycles — CAD, fabrication, assembly, test, and troubleshooting.

Selected Professional Integration Work​

Sanitized summaries of current work — process and outcomes only, no customer or system specifics.

Autonomous hydrofoil integration. Led all integration on an experimental autonomous hydrofoil under a 2-month sprint — coordinating mechanical, electrical, controls, and firmware interfaces — delivering on schedule and passing sea trials.

ASV payload-release integration. Leading integration of a payload-release add-on for an autonomous surface vessel on a one-quarter timeline: requirements clarification, electromechanical boundaries, and testability worked together rather than sequentially.

Design-risk review. In a controls design review, identified an oversized power-distribution unit, GPIO margin shortfalls, and reliability-tier mismatches — driving corrections before fabrication instead of after.

Education​

  • M.Eng., Engineering Management — Old Dominion University (in progress)
  • M.Ed., Instructional Technology — University of Maryland Global Campus
  • B.S., Technology & Engineering Education — Millersville University

Certifications​

  • Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP)

Technical Skills​

  • Systems architecture & integration: cross-domain electromechanical integration; interface definition and ownership in ambiguous system boundaries; integration-risk identification and mitigation; requirements traceability; verification & validation; configuration management
  • Electrical / PCB: multi-layer PCB design (Altium, KiCad, Fusion Electronics); power distribution and regulation; EMI mitigation; connector selection; signal integrity; electronics bring-up
  • Embedded / controls: STM32 (ARM Cortex-M), ESP32, RP2040/RP2350, AVR/ATtiny; C/C++, MicroPython; CAN, RS-485 / Modbus RTU, I²C, SPI, UART; motor control; ABZ encoders; sensor and actuator integration
  • Mechanical / CAD: SolidWorks (CSWP), Fusion 360; GD&T and tolerance stack-ups; enclosure architecture for harsh environments; electromechanical packaging; thermal considerations; sealing (O-ring / U-cup)
  • Prototyping, fabrication & DFM: additive (FDM/SLA) and subtractive (CNC) manufacturing; DFM/DFA; rapid hardware development; prototype-to-field transition; lab and test infrastructure; technical data packages

Publications & Speaking​

Peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations are collected on Scholarship & Speaking.

Résumé: Extended résumé (PDF)

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