Hi 👋😄, I’m Luke!

I'm a PhD Mechanical Engineer & trained experimentalist with 8+ years of R&D experience in both academic and industry environments.

I’m an innovator & problem-solver: I’ve spearheaded several multidisciplinary collaborations, yielding 8+ patents, 10+ publications, and several engineered solutions that have either led to cost savings (>$20M/yr), time savings / process improvement, and/or unlocked new technology for a business.

I’m a generalist. I know a little bit about a lot (e.g., mechanical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, electronics, and biology), and what I don’t know: I’m fast to ramp up on. My depth lies in challenging assumptions, identifying the right problem to solve, and applying ingenuity to solve it.

I’m a natural leader. I’ve had to hire, fire, and train operators, deliver research insights that influenced the direction of company operations, and communicate findings and direction to leadership teams.

I’m a people-person. I thrive in environments where connection, collaboration, trust, and goodwill are the standard (not the exception). Having grown up across three countries and three different school systems, I’ve learned to work with and connect to people from various backgrounds.

EDUCATION

B.S. Mech. Eng. - Penn State University, 2013-2017

PhD. Mech. Eng. - UC Santa Barbara, 2017-2022

SKILLS

Software: CAD (Solidworks, Fusion 360, Onshape) • MATLAB • Arduino • Python • COMSOL Multiphysics

Research: experiment design • test setup fabrication • data collection & analysis • root cause analysis • materials characterization (e.g., tensile testing) • mechanism design • multiphysics simulation (FEA, thermodynamics) • cross-disciplinary collaboration

Prototyping: 3D printing • laser cutting • machining (lathe, end-mill, GD&T) • molding/casting elastomers • composites

Interpersonal: high EQ • team player • collectivist attitude

EXPERIENCE

Sr. Mechanical Engr., Charm Industrial (Oct 2025 - Jan 2026)

  • Led a lab-scale pyrolysis R&D operation: managed a technician, operated pyrolyzer, designed experiments to root cause issues on larger pyrolyzers.

  • Performed root cause analysis of why our bio-oil was failing regulatory standards, demonstrated engineering changes to solve this issue, unlocked 2 tonne/day production of injectable bio-oil.

  • Rapid prototyped (<1 wk) a sparger/bubbler to prove a chemical process on 200 gal scale—unlocking treatment on the industrial (4000 gal) scale.

  • Contributed to a kinematics model of sparging that halved the treatment process time, nearly halving costs.

Researcher, Accenture Labs (Oct 2022 - Oct 2025)

  • Produced intellectual property (6 patents, 1 paper) focused on thin, flexible smart materials and 3D printing.

  • Led 8+ workshops with Fortune 500 leaders & executives--proposing technologies for business transformation & innovation.

  • Mentored undergraduate & graduate students: defined research projects, guided them through the research process, and co-authored patents on work done.

Researcher, Hawkes & Valentine Labs (Sep 2017 - May 2022)

  • Built a solar-powered soft robot >100x more efficient than comparable soft robots (publication).

  • Performed finite element analysis (FEA) to characterize failure modes of novel multi-material 3D prints. Tensile tested & imaged (SEM, digital) prints to verify simulations (publication). 

  • Applied computer vision to characterize the behavior of opacity-switching dyes (publication).

  • Produced a body of cross disciplinary work—working collaboratively with material scientists, electrical engineers, chemists, mechanics theorists, and marine biologists (Google scholar).

Mechanical Systems Analyst, KCF Technologies (Apr 2017 - Aug 2017)

  • Diagnosed issues in oil & gas components by creating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.

  • Redesigned the fluid end manifold, saving the customer >$20M/yr.

“Luke is a bundle of positive energy and he rips through engineering projects. Grateful to have had the chance to work with him!”

Peter Reinhardt
CEO @ Charm Industrial

“I worked alongside Luke as a peer and collaborator, and I think very highly of him as a mechanical engineer. He consistently tackled difficult, ambiguous problems with speed, rigor, and a hands-on mindset. Luke has impressive skills in design and fabrication. In our work together, Luke built spargers, ventilation setups, pressurized filtration systems, and catalyst beds, which enabled rapid testing and scale-up. Luke’s designs and rapid prototyping were often the key unlock in demonstrating lab solutions at larger scale.

On a critical impurity-removal effort, Luke explored multiple mechanical design approaches in parallel and helped drive scale-up from pilot to commercial in under six months. He was especially effective at bridging disciplines by asking thoughtful questions, quickly absorbing chemical and process knowledge, and working across teams to lead a pilot-scale pyrolysis unit despite limited prior experience.

Luke communicates clearly and thoughtfully, delivering data-backed presentations with a strong narrative that technical teams and leadership can trust. He’s the kind of engineer who goes all-in on hard problems, finds the right people and resources to solve them, and gets results.”

Andrew Thomas
Principle Petrochemical Scientist @ Charm Industrial

“I co-advised Luke during his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at UCSB. Luke is a force to be reckoned with. He combines technical mastery and research skills with work ethic and an ability to teach himself whatever he has to. This combination makes him able to tackle any problem. Something else that always struck me about Luke is how he will never say something is impossible, even if the odds are stacked against him. He will give it his 100%, and often ends up proving everyone else wrong. And after he's succeeded, he is exceptional at sharing his work--he is one of the best presenters I've worked with.”

Elliot Hawkes
Professor of Mech. Eng. @ UC Santa Barbara