MILLER ENGINEERING - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Professional Mechanical Engineer

Alyssa is a Professional Mechanical Engineer who has worked on over 100 projects over the past 5 years providing litigation consulting in the areas of industrial and construction workplace accidents, consumer product liability, and premise liability. In addition to her litigation case work, she has worked on projects evaluating warnings, instructions, packaging, and compliance with federal regulations for consumer products imported to the US. Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineer and is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on mechanical design and safety, both from the University of Michigan. She is a registered professional engineer in the state of Michigan and a SolidWorks Certified Associate. Her past professional experience includes machine design engineering at 3M and medical device product development at MC3 Cardiopulmonary. As an undergraduate, she performed research on statistical injury analysis for pediatrics at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute under the supervision of Jingwen Hu. Her international experiences include an accelerated entrepreneurship program in Turin, Italy; a STEM outreach camp in Walchandnagar, India; and a 3-D printing research project in Berlin, Germany.

Job Titles:

• Founding Partner
• Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Trine University

Dr. James M.L. Miller is an Assistant Professor of mechanical engineering at Trine University in Angola, Indiana, USA. Dr. Miller graduated with a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering from Stanford University in 2021, advised by Dr. Thomas W. Kenny. Prior to joining the faculty at Trine University, Dr. Miller was a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Steven W. Shaw at the Florida Institute of Technology and Dr. Gaurav Bahl at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Miller is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) grant, the E.K. Potter Stanford Graduate Fellowship, and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowship. Dr. Miller has authored or coauthored 25 publications in journals and conference proceedings in the area of microelectromechanical systems, resonators, and nonlinear dynamics. Dr. Miller passed the mechanical engineering Professional Engineering (PE) examination in October 2024 and is undergoing Professional Engineering licensure in the state of Michigan. At Miller Engineering he has applied his mechanical-electrical expertise to biomedical heat transfer problems and energy management in hydroelectric systems, solar arrays and portable battery usage, including battery life cycle testing.

Emily received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Chemistry from Aquinas College in 2014. She started her career as a chemist testing industrial hygiene samples at Bureau Veritas (2015-2017) and drinking water samples at NSF International (2017-2022), utilizing gas chromatography. She ended her time at NSF International as the Operations Manager of the Extractions Lab. Currently, at Miller Engineering, Emily manages the accounts receivable, accounts payable, and coordinates the day-to-day operations of the office. This unique blend has allowed for a strong attention to detail and understanding of data analysis.

Emily received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2023. Her previous work experience includes environmental engineering at Tetra Tech (2021-23). Emily is also a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and ran a STEM outreach camp at the University of Michigan for SWE (2022) that hosted 40 high schoolers from around the world.

Erinn received her Bachelor of Arts in English with Honors from the University of Michigan in April 2018. Her undergraduate thesis explored the didactic mission of elegy and its implications for contemporary readers. She works as a technical writer for Miller Engineering, summarizing and organizing project material, and maintaining the company's advertisements. Erinn also works for a cannabis consulting firm that assists clients in applying for adult-use and medical cannabis licenses across the country.

Helen received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with an additional major in psychology and a minor in agribusiness management from Michigan State University 2020. As an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant in the Automotive Research Experiment Station (ARES), where she assisted in computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling of internal combustion engines under the supervision of the director of ARES, Dr. Harold Schock. Helen completed her Master of Science in Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering at MSU, where her thesis involved the development of a computer model to help dairy farmers assess the economic feasibility of installing solar panels. Her coursework emphasized data acquisition, sensor technology, and statistical analysis of agricultural data. Throughout her master's, she was a research assistant for multiple projects under the supervision of former department chair, Dr. Ajit Srivastava. This work included the development of a course on Agricultural Mechanization, research involving the conversion of a tractor from combustion engine to electric motor, and participation in ASABE's Alliance for Modernizing African Agri-food Systems (AMAA). Helen's involvement in casework at Miller Engineering has included the following topics: Crop specific research, hydroponics, vertical farming, cannabis grow houses, HVAC, RVs, soil compaction, soil sampling and testing, tractor emissions, fugitive dust, fermentation, livestock management, pastureland management, region-specific agricultural research, and farm vehicle road safety.

Job Titles:

• Professor at Purdue University

Dr. Lehto is a Professor at Purdue University. He completed his Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Michigan in 1985, where he specialized in human factors engineering, in particular warnings and labeling, which was also the topic of his dissertation. He has taught courses at Purdue in human and safety factors areas, as well as decision making and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous professionally-reviewed articles, and he has authored / coauthored internationally-recognized textbooks in the areas of human factors and ergonomics. His current research often involves collecting data in the usability of consumer products and human computer / machine interactions in relation to safety. Dr. Lehto also holds patents in the automotive area in relation to occupant restraint systems. In addition, with his early experience in commercial fishing, he is qualified to analyze recreation- and marine-type accidents.