CHRISTINE
ZHOU
christineezhou@gmail.com | christinezhou.info | (626) 632-8105
EXPERIENCE
Ford – Associate Interiors Mechanical Design Engineer
May 2024
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Present
Advanced EV Development
Irvine, California
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Owning design of center console and cupholders, bridging communication between engineering, design, and suppliers
Associate Prototype Engineer
July 2023
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May 2024
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Innovated torque-based detent attachment mechanism providing tactile feedback over many usages, solving life cycle issues
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Led design of vehicle accessory withstanding 6 major load cases (e.g. crash with cargo) and defined product requirements
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Communicated cross-functionally with body, interiors, seating, and design teams to build prototypes such as to-scale plywood
body structures, plastic door handles, latching closures, machined foam interiors, and articulating sunvisors
Boeing – Mechanical Design Engineer Intern
June 2022
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September 2022
Payloads, Autonomy, and Flight Controls Teams
Everett, Washington
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Created a push/pull paddle latch mechanism with tamper-proof security for life vest deployment in emergency exit aisle
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Executed a tolerance stack-up analysis, finding 35.3% gear alignment error causing high lift actuator failure in flight
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Constructed a portable car mount with an IMU to track position of vehicles for autonomous flight machine learning
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Ideated, modeled, and prototyped lavatory for persons of reduced mobility with bolt latch designed for mass production
Tesla – Mechanical Design Engineer Intern
January 2022
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April 2022
Interior Engineering Team
Fremont, California
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Led product cycle for an injection molded mechanism, from ideation to DFM to 2 motorized prototypes in 3 months
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Performed root cause analysis and ran trials on 5+ key ramp issues on a program launch, increasing ramp efficiency
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Extensive usage of CATIA V5, GD&T, DFA, DFM, and cross-functional reviews for fixture and product design/optimization
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Utilized human-centered design to create and retrofit an ergonomic fixture, cutting loose object issues by 87%
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Interfaced with overseas suppliers to coordinate shipments, spec parts, and expedite timelines for interior commodities
Hasbro – Product Design Engineer Co-Op
July 2021 – December 2021
NERF Department
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
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Invented new internal blaster mechanism, optimized with force vs. time plots generated from SolidWorks Motion Analysis
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Modeled and tested 20+ barrel designs using rapid prototyping and DOE, enhancing blaster firing accuracy by 20.2%
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Programmed in-use MATLAB code that stores user inputs on photos as array data, reducing data collection time by 67%
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Manufactured casting molds for rapid prototyping of repetitive part designs to vary durometers, materials, and textures
Temple Allen Industries – Mechanical Engineer Intern
May 2021 – July 2021
Robotics Research and Development Team
Rockville, Maryland
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Drove product development for user-controlled surface preparation robots: part design, procurement, and assembly
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Wrote and performed 15+ tests to verify IP waterproof ratings, pneumatic valve function, material strength for parts
PROJECTS
Hoppy (christinezhou.info/hoppy)
December 2022
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Built an accessible kitchen cutting guide with design for injection molding, bearings, motors, IR sensors, and Arduino
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Collected primary market research, interviewing 40+ people and developing human-centered designs around insights
Drop Tower: Biological Sample Impactor (christinezhou.info/droptower)
December 2022
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Engineered a drop weight machine to impact biological samples, using an electromagnetic platform for drop release
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Utilized Abaqus to perform FEA for varying impactor geometries, increasing the load the impactor can withstand by 57%
SKILLS
Design/Testing:
3DEXPERIENCE, SolidWorks, CATIA V5, NX, Design for Manufacturing & Assembly, Design of Experiments,
ANSI/ASME Drawing Standards, Fits/Tolerances, Finite Element Analysis, Electronics Assembly and Testing, Plastic Part Design
Fabrication:
3D Printing, CNC Router, Laser Cutter, Mill, Power and Hand Tools, Welding, Soldering, Woodworking
Software:
MATLAB, Arduino, Abaqus FEA, LabView, LTspice, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), Microsoft Office
EDUCATION
Brown University [ABET Accredited] (GPA: 3.94/4.00)
Sc.B. Mechanical Engineering and A.B. Visual Art
Providence, Rhode Island