RELIABLE MICROSYSTEMS - Key Persons
Andrew Aaron earned his B.S. in Computer Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 2012. He was commissioned and served 8 years in the United States Navy, most recently as a Weapons System Officer in the F/A-18F and deployed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). While waiting to start flight training, he worked as an intern with the Naval Postgraduate School Electrical Engineering department where he worked on a project to add triple modular redundancy to an FPGA for the school's space satellite program. Andrew concluded his active- duty time in the Navy as a Lieutenant in 2020 and is currently pursuing his Masters in the Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, where he works as a Research Assistant with the Institute of Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE). His research at Vanderbilt includes testing radiation effects on carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFETs).
Cameron Moyers received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2021. He worked as an undergrad Research Assistant for the Extreme Environment Technologies Lab, where the area of research included VLSI design.
Cameron joined Reliable Microsystems as an intern in May 2021 and began full time employment in January 2022. Since joining Reliable MicroSystems, he has specialized in the development of radiation-effects-enabled compact models for use in the design of radiation-hardened electronics.
Cameron is actively involved in the extraction and calibration of electrical and radiation-enabled model parameters.
Connor Sanders received his B.S. in Computer Science from Auburn University in 2022, where he was a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Competitive Programming Team.
While attending school, he worked part-time as a software engineer at HDI Solutions LLC, where he gained experience working on government systems to support internal agency processes as well as statewide programs encompassing billions of data elements.
Connor joined Rel-Micro in February 2023 and primarily works on model extraction and optimization.
David Pauls received his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Lipscomb University in 2022. In the summers of 2019-2021, David worked as an Electrical Engineering Intern gaining broad industry experience. This included a summer at Jacobs Technology where David worked closely with the leading controls engineer on a large military contract designing multiple electrical systems alongside project management tasks such as budgeting and scheduling.
In 2021, David researched and initiated the development of a simulation tool for studying the effects of single event functional interrupts (SEFI) on the reliability of microprocessors at Vanderbilt University. During his senior year at Lipscomb University, David led a team of 8 students to compete in NASA's Student Launch competition. For this project David managed the budget, schedule, and technical tasks necessary to design build and launch multiple rockets to place in the top 10 teams in the competition.
David joined Reliable MicroSystems in 2022 with a focus on developing radiation test chips for technology characterization in semiconductor nodes from 90nm to 14nm.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Executive Assistant at Rel - Micro
Demetra is an Executive Assistant at Rel-Micro with several years experience supporting high-level executives. She has worked in both small and large companies and is adept at navigating a variety of environments. A New York native, she moved to Tennessee in 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcasting from the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University. In her spare time she enjoys photography, travel, and live music.
Daniel Loveless received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2004 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2007 and 2009, respectively. From 2009 to 2014 he was a Senior Research Engineer and Research Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Space and Defense Electronics, where he was involved in the modeling and design of integrated circuits for the evaluation of radiation effects in advanced CMOS technologies, spanning from 500 nm to 14 nm features sizes. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he conducts research in the areas of radiation-hardened-by-design microelectronics, analog and mixed-signal circuit design, low-power electronics, and embedded systems. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE.
Dr. Loveless has authored over 75 journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters. These papers deal primarily with radiation effects in advanced microelectronics, high-performance and radiation-hardened digital, mixed-signal and analog integrated circuit design, semiconductor device physics, and electrical characterization of digital and analog devices. His honors include three best conference paper awards, the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS) Graduate Scholarship Award for recognition of contributions to the fields of nuclear and plasma sciences, and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Scholarship.
Daniel Vibbert received his M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2018 and his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from University of Evansville in 2016. Daniel Vibbert joined Reliable MicroSystems as an intern in February of 2021, and is pursuing a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University. Since 2016, he has studied radiation effects at Vanderbilt's Institute of Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE), where he specialized in radiation-hardening-by-design (RHBD) techniques, such as Sensitive-Node Active Charge Cancellation (SNACC).
In 2018, he also began his specialization in the development of radiation transport simulation software as well as the design of graphical user interfaces for radiation-enabled tools.
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer
- Senior Project Manager
Jeffrey Kauppila, Ph.D., PE is a Senior Research Engineer with Vanderbilt University's Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE), where he works in the area of radiation effects modeling and radiation hardened design for microelectronics. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (2015), M.S. in Electrical Engineering (2003), and his B.E. in Electrical Engineering (2001) all from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Kauppila joined ISDE in 2003 and his research focus has centered on the development of radiation-effects-enabled compact models, integration of models with existing and custom developed process-design-kits (PDK), and the application of the radiation-enabled models in the design of radiation-hardened strategic defense systems electronics. Dr. Kauppila is actively involved in the development and design of integrated circuits and test structures used to extract and calibrate electrical and radiation-enabled model parameters.
Dr. Kauppila has analog/mixed signal design experience in bipolar junction transistor, bulk CMOS, silicon-on-insulator CMOS, and FinFET technologies with minimum process feature sizes from 6um to 14nm. Dr. Kauppila has also been involved in design support activities for a DOD strategic defense system program in multiple design disciplines, including analog/mixed signal integrated circuits, control electronics modules, and power supply/converter design. Dr. Kauppila has served as a reviewer for the IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science and the Journal of Radiation Effects Research and Engineering several times. Dr. Kauppila has multiple technical/trade publications. Dr. Kauppila is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Tennessee.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- Expert
Dr. Massengill has considerable management experience, leading high-impact engineering programs throughout his professional career. In 1987, he established the Radiation Effects Research program at Vanderbilt and has led the group's research into the mechanisms of single event effects in CMOS technologies, microelectronic circuit modeling for radiation response, PDK and radiation-aware design tool development, radiation effects in high-speed and RF analog/mixed-signal microelectronics, and radiation mitigation through radiation hardened by design (RHBD) techniques. During his career, he served as a lead architect of the U.S. Navy Radiation-Hardened TCAD (Technology Computer-Aided-Design) program, a national effort to address DOD rad-hard technology needs. Until 2015 he served as the founding Director of Engineering for the Vanderbilt University Institute for Space and Defense Electronics, a national center for the engineering support of government and commercial development efforts in integrated circuit technologies and advanced circuit design for mission-critical and fault-tolerant applications. In his ISDE capacity, he was responsible for leading all engineering R&D efforts, including engineering support of the U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Trident Missile Mk6 Life Extension program for design verification and validation from concept to product delivery. In addition to technical management, Dr. Massengill has experience in academic administration. He presently leads the Vanderbilt Microelectronics Circuits Group, which performs applied research into radiation-hardened microelectronic design and assessment. He has served as Director of Undergraduate Studies (twice) and Assoc. Dept. Chair for the Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. In the former role, he was responsible for day-to-day course staffing and curricular matters, such as course scheduling and teaching assignments. In the latter, he was also responsible for strategic departmental direction. For example, he led the transition of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering academic programs through a successful ABET 2000 accreditation reorganization.
Prof. Massengill is an expert on microelectronic devices, circuit design, and integrated circuit functional analysis; with particular qualifications in the analysis of circuit failures due to space radiation effects, in circuit design techniques for radiation-fault-tolerant defense systems, and in transistor device analysis for radiation-induced integrated circuit faults. He has more than 30 years experience in the analysis of integrated circuits, the development of circuit analysis techniques, and the development of radiation hardened circuitry. Much of his technical career has been in R&D for national defense programs. He is a Fellow of the IEEE.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, WestGate Design Support Center
Matt Thompson, DSL is an experienced leader and serves as a Program Manager for Reliable MicroSystems. He has a successful background focused on operations, project management, and program management at various organizational levels. Matt started his career in law enforcement as a patrol officer, then transitioned to the Army where he filled roles such as Company Commander, Division Force Protection Officer, Brigade Operations Officer, Battalion Executive Officer, and Division Inspector General. He left active duty in 2022 for a project management position at NSWC Crane; although, he still serves in the U.S. Army Reserve. In May 2023, he joined Reliable MicroSystems as a Program Manager.
His education includes a B.A. from Purdue University, where he majored in Law & Society. He obtained a M.A. in Business and Organizational Security Management from Webster University in 2016. And he completed a professional doctoral degree in Strategic Leadership through Liberty University in 2022. His military education includes the U.S. Army's Military Police Basic Officer Leadership Course, Military Police Captain's Career Course, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Sean Vibbert received his B.S in Electrical Engineering from the University of Evansville, Indiana in 2019. He received his M.S. and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2021 and 2023.
During his time at Vanderbilt University, he worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics, where he led efforts to design, fabricate, and assess a novel on-chip photocurrent measurement circuit in two sub-50nm silicon-on-insulator technology processes.
He joined Reliable MicroSystems as a full-time engineer in 2023 and is stationed at the WestGate Design Support Center in Crane, Indiana.
Sean specializes in high-speed, mixed signal circuit design with an emphasis on photocurrent environment analysis. He is experienced at performing ASIC testing evaluations at radiation test facilities, including heavy ion, pulsed-laser, flash x-ray, and linear accelerator sources.
W. Timothy Holman received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1994. From 1987 to 1994 he was employed by the IBM Corporation, where he was involved in software and hardware development. From 1994 to 2000 he was a faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arizona. He is currently a Research Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University, where he conducts fundamental research in the area of microelectronic circuit analysis and design, and a Senior Member of the IEEE. He is also a member of the Vanderbilt Institute for Space and Defense Electronics where he participates in applied R&D activities in support of commercial space and military strategic systems.
Dr. Holman is an expert on the design of low noise / low power analog and mixed-signal (AMS) circuits and systems, the design of radiation-hardened circuits, the simulation and modeling of AMS circuits, and the design of radiation-hardened circuitry for deep submicron IC processes. Dr. Holman has led the development of several new techniques for the radiation hardening of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits, and assisted in the design of radiation-tolerant PLLs, DLLs, ADCs, voltage references, and operational amplifiers. He has over 100 publications in analog and mixed-signal circuit modeling and simulation, including the design and simulation of radiation-hardened integrated circuits.
Grant D. Poe received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2015 and his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2019. From 2017 to 2019 he worked as a Research Assistant at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Space and Defense Electronics where he utilized layout aware node spacing techniques in creating custom layouts to develop a novel memory circuit for radiation hardness and low power operation. He joined Reliable MicroSystems as a full-time engineer in 2019, and at RMS has worked extensively towards radiation characterization in a 14/16-nm technology node. This work included custom layouts and novel digital designs for on board radiation characterization.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Assistant at Rel - Micro
Hunter is an Administrative Assistant at Rel-Micro with several years of experience working in law firm management. He has experience working in small business and navigating the challenges that arise. He is a TN native, grew up in Tullahoma, TN. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). In his spare time he enjoys golfing, spending time with his family, and travel.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- COO
Julia Buckley is the Chief Operations Officer for Reliable MicroSystems. She received her B.S. degree in Biology from Lipscomb University. She joined Rel-Micro in 2018. Before joining Rel-Micro, Julia worked as a Laboratory Manager for a Molecular Science and Pathology Laboratory at the University of Florida. Her projects focused on laryngeal and lung cancer research. Julia has also performed cancer research as a Research Assistant in a Cell and Development Biology Laboratory at Middle Tennessee State University. Projects there focused on planar cell polarity during cell migration.
Julia gained office management experience as an Office Manager for Florida Department of Children and Families and for Tri-Central Community Schools. Throughout her career Julia continuously volunteers as a tutor, first responder, and robotics club leader.
Tim Haeffner is a Senior Staff Engineer at Reliable MicroSystems, LLC. Tim holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wyoming and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Tim's professional and engineering experience are as a circuit design engineer specifically radiation effects, hardware design, and physical layout design. Tim has analog/mixed signal and digital design experience in bulk CMOS, silicon-on-insulator CMOS, and FinFET technologies with feature sizes from 350nm to 7nm.
Tim's electrical engineering career started at Intel Corporation in Chandler, Arizona as a CAD engineer where he transitioned into a circuit design roll and worked to develop I/O circuitry in Intel's 180nm and 130nm CMOS technologies. Tim left Intel and began working at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) in Nashville, Tennessee.
While working as a full-time radiation effects engineer at ISDE, Tim completed his M.S. in Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. During his time at ISDE and Vanderbilt University Tim contributed to over 25 technical/trade publications on radiation effects in microelectronic circuits and devices, most of which are published in Transactions on Nuclear Science (TNS). In 2022, Tim joined Reliable MicroSystems, LLC. as a Senior Staff Engineer.
Tim was born and raised in Wyoming and enjoys bow hunting, fly fishing and beach volleyball.