Ryan Warren Alexander
Leveraging a broadly-based automotive engineering background to solve complex problems
Key Experience
Design Engineering
I designed parts and systems for car suspensions. To ensure part reliability, I processed road-load data for finite element analyses (FEA) followed by physical verification testing. I was on the core team developing the award-winning Chevrolet ZR2 one-of-a-kind shock absorber which adapted Formula 1 damper technology to off-road use for the first time. I was the lead designer of a new balljoint technology that promises to reduce part cost and improve performance at the same time.
Chassis Design Engineer
I was responsible for the design of suspension parts and systems for high volume production cars. My most significant project was the design of a next generation suspension architecture. It was used in the Chrysler Pacifica which won numerous awards citing its best-in-class handling. I led a research and development project that produced a new technology for dynamically adjusting the ride height of a vehicle at a low cost.
Chrysler Pacifica
Race Engineering & Data Analysis
Determined suspension and vehicle setup based on logged data, track conditions, and driver attributes for an Indy Pro 2000 car (formerly Star Mazda).
Indy Pro 2000
Technical Director and Head of Vehicle Dynamics & Suspension
As Technical Director of a cross-functional team of 40 engineering and business students, I was responsible for design, integration, manufacturing, testing, and competition of the team's race car. As Head of Vehicle Dynamics and Suspension, I was responsible for detailed system design, integration, testing, and track performance. Under my leadership, the team earned 3 distinct new records for Western University. Top 5 finish in FSAE California, top design score in team history, and lowest skidpad time in team history. A technical summary of suspension development is available here and a study on the relationship between longitudinal wheel paths during heave and anti-dive is available here.
Education
University of Toronto
Relevant work: Vehicle Modeling and Control Algorithms, Industry Safety Frameworks, Python
University of Western Ontario
Relevant work: Applied Measurement and Sensing, Composite Material Design and Processing, Aerodynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Material Science
University of Western Ontario
Relevant work: Mechatronics, Formula SAE, Programming, Finite Element Methods, Mechanical Vibrations, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Production Management, Human Biomechanics
Skills
- Siemens NX
- SOLIDWORKS & SOLIDWORKS Simulation
- CATIA
- Fusion 360
- MATLAB & Simuink
- LabVIEW
- STAR-CCM+
- Git
- Minitab
- Kicad
- Python
- C++
- MATLAB
- HTML & CSS
- Design engineering
- Team leadership
- Complex problem solving
- Mechanical and electronic fabrication
- Cycling (cross country & road)
- Hiking
- Acoustic guitar
- Photography
Highlighted Projects
- Western Formula SAE Suspension (PDF report)
- Electric Miata Conversion (PDF report, video)
- Autonomous Mining Robot (PDF report)
- Speed and Steering Controller for Self-Driving Car
- 3D Printed Racecar Steering Wheel
Awards
- Multimatic Inc. (2019). Ball Joint with Injection Molded Bearing. WIPO Patent WO2019033218.
- Alexander, Ryan W., "The Effect of Backing Material on Carbon Fibre Severing for High-Volume Production of Composites" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2783.
- Adamovsky, M.F.A., Alexander, R.W., Kaptur, L., Tutunea-Fatan, O.R., Wood, J.T., (2018), "Instrumented Linear Cutting Device for the Analysis of Fiber Severing Process," Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 233:875-888.
- Laschowski B, Nolte V, Adamovsky M, and Alexander R.W. (2015). "The Effects of Oar-Shaft Stiffness and Length on Rowing Biomechanics," Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. 229: 239-247.
- Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) Green Belt Course Requirements, Chrysler, 2012.
- Comprehensive WHMIS Training, Western University, 2013.
- General Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Waste Management Training, Western University, 2013.
- Kaizen Foundations Continuous Improvement Training, Multimatic, 2017.