I am an Engineer with a strong foundation in business strategy, driven by an insatiable curiosity for solving intricate challenges.
My approach blends the art of design thinking and the precision of systems thinking.
What truly ignites my passion is harnessing the potential of cutting-edge technologies like Autonomous Systems
and AI to address intricate technical issues within the realms of intelligent manufacturing and transportation systems ,
all with a deep-rooted commitment to creating positive societal impacts .
Currently, I am a Masters student in the SDM program
at MIT.
My current research projects are,
Systems Dynamics Modelling of Organizational Culture Change
I am working with Jamie Bonini , President of TSSC
on applying systems dynamics modeling techniques
to model the effective implementation of the Toyota Production System at small to medium companies in the USA, both in manufacturing
and service sector.
I am advised by Professor Hazhir Rahmandad and
Professor Zeynep Ton . Zeynep Ton is the author of
the book Good Jobs Strategy and The Case for Good Jobs.
Learning Safe + Eco-Driving Strategies at Signalized Intersections with Jaywalkers
I along with Thi Van Ahn am working with Cathy Wu in the
LIDS Laboratory in MIT CSAIL
and Vindula Jayawardana on the design and optimization of the reward function utilizing DQN
to influence the driving behavior to maximize safety while minimizing emissions in navigating intersections with pedestrians jaywalking.
Prior work on this research area can be found here
EDUCATION
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT) Cambridge, MA
M.S., Engineering and Management, System Design and Management Program (SDM)2021 – 2024
Core: System & Design thinking, System engineering methods, and Product Management (Digital & Hardware)
Business Electives: Operations strategy, Service operations design and management, Leading change, System dynamics modeling, Digital Strategies in operations, Competitive Strategy, Valuation & Game theory.
Engineering Electives: ML and Optimization in Operations Management, Inventory Analytics, Numerical methods (Optimization//RL) in transportation systems, Hands on Deep Learning, Algorithms in autonomy and decision-making, Manufacturing process controls, Medical Device Design, Robotics, and Human-System Safety.
Projects:
Forecasting cloud demand using ML for Google, & Network design optimization for Walmart and Schlumberger
Implemented path planning (RRT), route optimization, and self-diagnosis for a hypothetical ER drone.
Boston Dynamics: Design an integrated system solution for SPOT Robot with AR/VR in consumer tourism space.
Sumitomo: Developed patient-centered positioning solution for proton therapy using empathy-driven design thinking.
Designed and optimized the reward function for an autonomous vehicle utilizing a deep Q-network, influencing driving behavior to minimize overall emissions in navigating intersections with pedestrians jaywalking.
Thesis: Organization culture as a tool to create an extraordinary capability from ordinary talent. Modeling business transformation as a system dynamics model and Re-engineering lean implementation effort to ensure sustenance of change efforts for Toyota (TSSC) and its partners.
Revitalized Glass and Trim parts sourcing using a data-driven trade-space diagram to balance performance (cost, quality, innovation) and sourcing risks, resulting in a 5% risk reduction and 7% performance improvement.
Slashed Model S, X glass service part numbers by 35% through product re-engineering and value-chain cost analysis
Analyzed organizational performance using diverse strategy frameworks and collaborated with leadership to identify critical SWOTs – shift to electric and connected powertrain, digital operations transition, and people development.
Re-set targets for all functions (product, process, and people) based on a "zero" base and cross-global benchmarking.
Facilitated successful execution of strategic initiatives by creating monthly report cards, leading bi-monthly all-hands meetings, and conducting rigorous follow-ups with functional leaders to ensure 100% adherence to targets.
Proactively identified and highlighted key risks, resulting in early resolution, and enabling achievements: 20% fixed cost reduction during covid, maintaining emissions per unit at lower and scattered production.
Product/ Program Manager (Team size = Direct 5, Indirect = 40+)
Led development of the first manual & first electric powertrain under the Toyota-Suzuki collaboration during covid.
Married two diverse cultures with competing goals on cost & quality. Achieved 19% cost reduction while maintaining quality and reduced project lead time by eight months by strategic sourcing, joint SE, and benchmarking workflows.
Managed a $30M project budget, established a critical path, and aligned project goals with Hoshin.
Proactively engaged stakeholders to de-risk risks & develop a stress-test plan to achieve zero delays in the timeline.
Coordinated interdisciplinary teams on business and technical aspects, including market sizing, product-market fit, competitive and regulatory analyses, value chain design, and product and process planning.
Implemented Front loaded PDCA and set-based development to delay commitment to concept and cost for both projects. Slashed budget by 6% through resource allocation, dynamic visualization, and rebalancing.
Implemented bi-weekly Obeya to facilitate collaboration among functions and leadership on product concepts, address project concerns, and obtain feedback on new strategies to drive project success.
Practiced "genba" philosophy by visiting every function to deeply understand concerns and highlighting leadership timely. Visited electric powertrain suppliers to review critical technical issues and gather essential support to achieve the highest quality and reliability during product development.
Senior Engineer, Global Supply Chain Competitiveness (Team size = Direct 3) TDEM, Thailand, 2016 - 2018
Led multi-cultural team to design $/unit KPI tree to save $8M in transportation costs & 900 tons of emissions annually (2050 "0" Emission goal) across 17 companies in 11 countries.
Trained to be a Toyota Production System (Lean) coach through job training in diverse business conditions.
Designed a Cost KPI tree-based approach to improving annual profits by $1.8M (6%) at Toyota Philippines.
Established cost control unit as "$ per vehicle" to implement proactive profit control for new car models by setting the RIGHT process from the design stage while maintaining cost competitiveness across model lifecycles.
Contributed to promoting Toyota's "2050 Zero Emission" among affiliates. Jointly initiated ideas such as solar logistics, intermodal and integrated logistics, and paperless operations.
SCM.251: Supply Chain Financial Analysis Teaching Assistant, MIT, Fall 2021
15.053: Optimization Methods for Business Analytics [Course] : Teaching Assistant, MIT, Spring 2022.
SCM 260 / 15.770 / 1.260 / IDS.730: Logistics Systems Teaching Assitant, MIT, Fall 2022,2023 .
SDM Program Core: Systems Engineering, Architecture and Program Management : Teaching Assistant, MIT , Spring 2023, 2024.
15.066 : System Optimization and Analysis for Operations : Teaching Assistant, MIT , Spring 2023, 2024.
COURSES TAKEN at MIT
Fall 2023: Airline Industry, Human Supervisory Control, Systems Safety, Reinforcement Learning
Spring 2022: Transportation Methods Foundation, Digital Product Management, Communication with Data, Inventory and Capacity Analyics, Machine Learning for Supply Chain Management, Hands-on Deep Learning
Fall 2022: Competitive Strategy, Analytics of Operations Management, Pricing, Management of Services, Control of Manufacturing Process, System Dynamics
Spring 2022: Medical Device Design, Operations Strategy, Systems Engineering, Project Management, Demand Analytics, Pricing
Fall 2021: Systems Architecture, Principles of Autonomy and Decision Making, Leading Creating Teams, Risk and Decisions Analysis
