About

A bit more about me.

Background

Hi, I’m Sid. I study mechanical engineering and math at NC State, and I’m happiest moving between CAD, code, and a workbench. My projects have taken me from competition robots to underwater simulations, muddy rover tests, and lab automation. I’ve also researched how to shuffle a deck of cards, which turned out to involve a lot more math than you might expect.


A lot of how I work comes from FIRST robotics with the Zebracorns at NCSSM: building with teammates, mentoring newer students, and sharing designs other teams could use. Seeing my bumper design reach beyond our team was especially rewarding. More recently, working at iOrganBio reminded me how much I enjoy making hardware and software useful to the people who actually use them.


Away from the workbench, I’ve played tennis for over a decade and captained my team at NCSSM. I’m also into power sports, cars, and racing. Apparently, even my downtime tends to involve something moving quickly.

Experience

Simulation Lead
AquaPack Robotics (RoboSub Team) | Sept 2025 – Present
  • Developing perception and hydrodynamics simulations of SeaWolf IX in Isaac Sim using OceanSim and Warp.
  • Using Omniverse Replicator to generate synthetic training data for field-object detection models.
  • Integrating ZED X stereo vision and ROS 2 into SeaWolf IX’s perception and navigation pipeline.

Undergraduate Research Assistant
NCSU Engineering Mechanics and Space Systems Lab | Oct 2025 – Present
  • Contributing to mechanical and systems design of MAARCO, a twin-screw rover for granular-terrain mobility, including development of a larger-scale next-generation platform.
  • Developing rover autonomy through encoder/IMU filtering, closed-loop yaw and screw-speed control, path planning, and simulation.
NCSU Intelligent Robotics and Space Systems Lab | Oct 2025 – Present
  • Contributing to an ocean energy harvester project using DEEC-tec technology
  • Designing, fabricating, and assembling prototypes of frequency up-conversion methods to test on DEEC hydrogels.

Mechatronics Intern
iOrganBio | January 2026 – August 2026
  • Designed and integrated PID-controlled incubation systems for scalable cell-culture workflows, incorporating environmental sensing and sterile operator access.
  • Developed a manufacturing execution system (MES)-driven media-preparation workflow that translated experimental condition matrices into automated Hamilton protocols, reducing scientist setup from approximately 1–3 days to 0.5–2 hours, followed by 2–6 hours of autonomous execution.

Project Manager – Team 24
NASA L’SPACE Mission Concept Academy | May 2026 – August 2026
  • Developed a lunar exploration mission concept featuring a stationary base station and autonomous cold-gas-propelled scout to characterize terrain and environmental hazards near permanently shadowed regions.
  • Led a 20-member interdisciplinary team through System Requirements Review, Mission Definition Review, and Preliminary Design Review, coordinating engineering development, mission requirements, and technical deliverables.
  • Contributed to vehicle CAD, mechanical design, and subsystem integration while aligning instrument selection and engineering requirements with lunar science objectives.

Design and Mechanical Lead
FIRST Robotics Competition Team 900, The Zebracorns | October 2023 - April 2025
  • Led the team to its second-best season in its 23-year history, winning the 2025 NC Championships and ranking in the top 11% of FIRST Robotics Competition teams worldwide.
  • Directed 25-member mechanical and 5-member CAD team, dedicating ~50 hrs/week during peak build season to oversee prototyping, fabrication, and assembly of 150 lb competition robots.
  • Designed master geometry, drivetrains, elevators, and shooters while mentoring juniors on subsystems; authored and publicly released a configurable sheet metal bumper design; managed team Onshape enterprise and public CAD releases.

Student Design Competition Team Member
ASME Student Section at NC State | September 2025 – May 2026
  • Collaborated with peers to solve applied design challenges through the ASME Student Design Competition.
  • Worked on a competition challenge to deliver garbage and recycling units safely and correctly through a model city.
  • Participated in seminars, professional events, and service initiatives through the ASME student chapter.

Researcher & Team Lead
NCSSM Research in Mathematics | January 2024 - February 2025
  • Led a three-person team from NCSSM’s selective RMath program, engaging in rigorous problem-solving and proof techniques.
  • Researched exotic integrals of the arctangent function, alongside complex analysis independent study in the fall.
  • Independently worked with another student on an exploration of perfect Faro shuffling
  • Presented at 2024 NCSSM Research Symposium and got distinction from the Chancellor

Co-Founder
RISE with YETI STEM Outreach Initiative | May 2023 - July 2024
  • Provided affordable STEM education to students in under-resourced schools, introducing over 60 students to robotics, business, and sustainability
  • Raised $3000+ in sponsorships and reached out to 5 Title I schools in the Charlotte area
  • Personally taught daily lessons for 3 weeks, during July 2023 and 2024 to students at QCRA

Men’s Varsity Captain
NCSSM Tennis Team | February 2024 - April 2025
  • Captained 15-member tennis team for 2024 and 2025 Spring tennis season
  • Achieved 3rd in 2024 NCHSAA 2A State Men’s Tennis Championships in Doubles
  • Won Super Six (Durham/Raleigh area) 1A/2A All-Conference Award

Member
Math Clubs – Ardrey Kell & NCSSM | 2021–2025
  • Competed in HMMT, Duke Math Meet, College of Charleston Math Meet, and Math Madness.
  • Three-time AIME qualifier (AMC 12), placed top 3 in CofC LIII in 2023 and 2024

STEM Outreach Mentor
FIRST Tech Challenge & Local Schools | 2022–2025
  • Volunteered 40+ hours at FIRST events and served as referee/mentor.
  • Taught CAD/robotics workshops at Omni Montessori and NCSSM.

Design Lead
Engineering Competitions (TSA, Conrad Challenge, BWSi CubeSat) | 2021–2024
  • Led design for TSA teams (3× State Finalists, Nationals Qualifier).
  • 2023 Conrad Challenge Semi-Finalist and CubeSat Challenge participant.

High School Intern
Comake | September 2024 - December 2024
  • Developed AI-enabled data deduplication algorithms for City of Atlanta tourism website.
  • Improved process efficiency by ~30 hours/month through prompt engineering and automation.

Tennis Player
USTA & Academy Training | 2013 – Present
  • Competed in USTA tournaments for 8 years with 20+ regional and state-level trophies.
  • Achieved a peak UTR of 7.5.

Student
AwesomeMath Summer Program | 2023 – 2024
  • Completed Level II and III coursework in algebra, number theory, combinatorics, and geometry.