Making MATLAB Dreams an RF Reality

My default answer when asked about what I do is: Engineer. But, what does that really mean?

Currently I work for FAST Labs, BAE Systems’ research and development organization, where we develop lots of ‘cool technologies’ that we can’t publicly discuss. My group is called Mission Systems, a vaguely named organization with a tagline of “Turning MATLAB dreams into Radio Frequency (RF) reality”.

So, why am I posting on LinkedIn to talk about a career I can’t say much about? Well, every few months we meet with our communications team to update them on some of the programs and technologies we are working on and every few months they ask, “Can we talk about that?” My answer has consistently been “no”.

As communicators often do, they kept trying. Over time they changed the dialogue.

“So, explain your day-to-day. Tell us about a challenge you overcame at work. Give us an example of a work experience you could share with family or colleagues or peers you may be trying to recruit to join the organization.” Ok, I can work with that.

To figure out what could be shared publicly, we started looking at examples of Mission Systems programs that were nominated for various BAE Systems awards. As we looked at all the nominations, we quickly discovered some themes.

For each program, the technology innovation was extraordinary, but where each of these teams overcame the impossible was in the timeline. Each project addressed a critical and immediate need of our customers that required us to approach each project with a radical new idea. Innovation isn’t just technical, it is often about an approach or a process.

So, what do I do for a living? Put in the simplest terms – I innovate, disrupt, and ultimately overcome the impossible. And while that might sound a bit corny, I find what my organization does truly inspiring and very impactful to the warfighter.

Innovate:

At the core of any engineering organization is the desire to innovate. I’m fortunate enough to work for an organization that – as we often say – doesn’t make toasters or widgets. We innovate technology with a purpose – to protect our men and women in uniform. Fearless innovation isn’t just a catch phrase, here it is our job description.

Disrupt:

Change can be difficult and big change can be terrifying. But without disrupting the status quo, we don’t grow and we don’t evolve. Incremental change and continuous improvement are necessary, but we must also aspire to cause disruptive change and sometimes make people uncomfortable.

Overcome impossible:

Technology advancements are often about overcoming the impossible. One of my proudest career moments was a test event when a technology that was at one time assessed at a probability of success of 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000002% was demonstrated and proved many naysayers wrong. The organization continues to push the art of the possible, turning science fiction into reality.

For those looking to join an organization that solves the hardest problems to benefit those that protect us, we’re hosting an Open House in our Merrimack, NH location on June 22 – come stop by and learn more about FAST Labs!

But if you can’t make the Open House and you’re still interested in making MATLAB dreams an RF reality, take a look at opportunities within the Mission Systems organization: (RF/Cyber Tech Director, Advanced Methodologies Tech Group Lead, Convergent Architectures Tech Group Lead, & Space Systems Tech Group Lead).

I’ll never be able to fully eliminate the mystery of what my team does day-to-day, but to me, it’s magic.