Hi, my name is

Daniel.

End-to-End Electronics and Systems Engineering.

Electronics and systems engineering across the full development lifecycle — with a strong interest in aerospace and integrated systems.

Resume Portfolio

About Me

I specialize in electronics and systems engineering, helping companies take complex projects from concept to deployment. With a background in mechatronics, I work comfortably across electronics, software, and mechanical domains, often owning systems end-to-end rather than isolated components.

My core experience includes lithium battery pack design, solar and energy systems, embedded development, and PCB design — experience I’ve applied across aerospace and robotics platforms.

I use methodical reasoning and strong visualisation to build accurate mental models of systems, helping me anticipate interactions, constraints, and failure modes early in the design process. Explore my work below, or get in touch if you’d like to collaborate.

This work spans a range of tools and technologies, including:

Altium Designer
Python
SolidWorks
Proxmox PVE
Mikrotik
Ubiquiti

Experience

Kea Aerospace

(Jul 2021 – Present) Read More →

Avionics Design Lead

Jan 2023 – Present · Christchurch, NZ

Leading a team of engineers, defining high-level design, test procedures and processes.

Led a cross-disciplinary team of 5-8 engineers, mentoring on system design, project planning, and workflow.
Oversaw next-generation aircraft concepts, defining design direction and ensuring systems alignment.
Defined flight test protocols and electrical manufacturing processes to ensure reliability and safety.
Coordinated end-to-end aircraft programs, integrating mechanical, electrical, and software components.

Power & Avionics Engineer

Aug 2022 – Present · Christchurch, NZ

Worked on Kea Atmos MK1 and other R&D airframes, taking PCBs and systems from concept to stratospheric flight.

Sole electrical designer and owner of the Kea Atmos battery pack and BMS.
Developed power supplies, solar systems, and power distribution for multiple airframes.
Defined high-level software architecture and flow for embedded systems, while contributing to GUI and subsystem implementation.
Designed and built core Ground Support Equipment, including physical layout and network topology.
Worked on various RF systems up to 10GHz.
Developed a company-wide flight analysis toolkit for offline data processing.

Junior Avionics Engineer

Jul 2021 – Aug 2022 · Christchurch, NZ

Designed the initial electrical architecture for the Kea Atmos MK1 and developed early prototype PCBs and supporting systems.

Learn more about Kea Aerospace →

Justin Neil Engineering

(Nov 2017 – Feb 2018)

Mechanical Engineer

Nov 2017 – Feb 2018 · Christchurch, NZ

Summer work experience using Lathes, Mills, Drill presses, Bandsaws, MIG welders and Arc welders.

Education

2019 - 2021

Master of Electrical Engineering

University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Masters on Tethered Aerial Vehicles for Remote Soil Moisture Sensing Applications

Developed and tested low-cost tethered balloon and UAV systems for remote soil moisture monitoring.
Created a minimal model of a tethered balloon to study wind effects; validated experimentally up to 48-hour operation.
Designed a Power-over-Tether system for UAVs, enabling extended hover times without batteries.
Implemented camera-based soil health monitoring, comparing multispectral and RGB cameras; RGB proved more practical and reliable.
Developed georeferencing algorithms to accurately locate areas of dead or bare grass (~2 m error).
Gained hands-on experience in platform design, sensor integration, data collection, and analysis under real-world conditions.

Activities and Societies:

University of Canterbury Rocketry Club
- Launched sounding rockets up to 10km high.
- Improved the telemetry downlink system and redesigned the avionics stack.

2016 - 2019

Bachelor with First Class Honours in Mechatronics Engineering

University of Canterbury, New Zealand

GPA: 6.49 out of 9.0

Awarded a Summer Research Scholarship (Nov 2018 – Feb 2019)

Conducted research on Electric Vehicle (EV) charger safety and protection device requirements.
Modified and faulted power electronics circuits to simulate realistic household faults.
Measured currents and voltages using oscilloscopes and Power Quality Analysers (PQAs).
Analysed residual current device (RCD) trip behaviour for safe residential operation.
Dismantled and inspected household and EV-related circuits to identify PFC and protection components.
Developed practical skills in soldering, crimping, and circuit assembly.
Produced detailed technical documentation and professional reports for regulatory recommendations.