SAWYER_FERRELL.EXE
> Initializing embedded subsystems........[OK]
> Mounting circuit schematics.............[OK]
> Compiling firmware stack................[OK]
> Calibrating oscilloscope................[OK]
> Establishing RF uplink..................[OK]
LOADING: 0%
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SYSTEM READY
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SAWYER FERRELL // FUTEK · NASA · UC BERKELEY ECE

ELECTRICAL
ENGINEER

 FIRMWARE  ·  HARDWARE  ·  PCB  ·  RF  ·  NASA  

> Embedded Firmware & Hardware Design Engineer I at FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology — building precision sensor systems for medical, robotics, and aerospace applications.
> NASA L'SPACE Project Scientist & 3× NCAS Scholar — designed AI-guided adaptive optics and worked with NASA engineers across three space missions including Lunar Gateway and JSC.
> Incoming UC Berkeley ECE (B.S.) · IVC Summa Cum Laude, 4.0 GPA · Amateur Radio licensed, ARDC grant recipient

./VIEW_WORK RESUME ↓ LINKEDIN ↗ EMAIL
▼   SCROLL   ▼

about.exe

IDENTITY_FILE

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~/sawyer/about.sh
sawyer@ee:~$ cat identity.json
›{ "name": "Sawyer Ferrell",
›  "role": "Embedded Firmware & Hardware Design Engineer I",
›  "company": "FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology",
›  "education": "UC Berkeley · B.S. ECE",
›  "gpa": "4.00 · Summa Cum Laude (IVC)",
›  "location": "Irvine, CA",
›  "status": "OPEN_TO_WORK" }
sawyer@ee:~$ cat bio.txt
›Embedded Firmware & Hardware Design Engineer I at FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, where I own the full product lifecycle — from analog front-end design and mixed-signal PCB layout in Altium, through low-level STM32/PIC32 firmware, to hands-on SMT assembly and hardware validation on the bench. My work goes into precision sensor products fielded in medical devices, surgical robotics, and aerospace systems.
›Alongside industry work, I served as an L'SPACE NPWEE Project Scientist, designing AI-guided adaptive optics using bimorph mirrors and Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors. I also led UCI's Irvine Hacker Fab, building a sub-micron maskless lithography machine and HV sputtering system. Graduated IVC Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA; incoming UC Berkeley ECE (B.S.) Fall 2026.
sawyer@ee:~$
4.00
GPA · Summa Cum Laude
2yr+
at FUTEK
3×
NASA Scholar
UCB ECE
Incoming Fall 2026
// KEY INTERESTS & SKILLS
> Embedded Firmware — STM32, PIC32, C/C++
> Hardware Design — Altium Designer, LTSpice, PCB Layout
> Panasonic SMT Line · Oracle PLM · BOM Creation
> RF & Amateur Radio (IVC Wireless Club President)
> NASA L'SPACE · NCAS Scholar · Adaptive Optics
> MATLAB · Python · Git · x86 Assembly · Linux
⟶  linkedin.com/in/sawyer-ferrell-3b015031a
⟶  github.com/sawyerferrell
⟶  sawyerferrell@gmail.com

skills.dat

TECH_STACK

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Altium Designer STM32 / Firmware LTSpice C / C++ PCB Layout PIC32 / MPLAB Oscilloscope Analog Design Mixed-Signal
Embedded Firmware
C / C++ Bare-Metal STM32 / STM32CubeIDE PIC32 / MPLAB X x86 Assembly HAL Abstraction Register-Level I/O
Bare-metal to HAL firmware on production sensor MCUs at FUTEK
Hardware Design
Altium Designer LTSpice PCB Layout & Routing Mixed-Signal Design High-Res ADC Systems SMT Assembly Oracle PLM / BOM Panasonic SMT Line
Full PCB lifecycle on medical, robotics & aerospace hardware
RF & Lab Instruments
Oscilloscope Spectrum Analyzer Power Supplies Function Generator Amateur Radio (Ham) RF Circuit Design Microelectronics Signal Analysis
FCC licensed; daily bench work; ARDC grant-funded radio lab
Software & Languages
MATLAB Python Git Linux Java x86 Assembly Bash / Shell LaTeX
Mathematical modeling, scripting, version control & documentation

projects/

PROJECT_LOG

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[00] LUCIAN_EEG.pcb● FEATURED

Project LUCIAN — EEG ADC PCB

Full Altium Designer schematic and PCB for the ADS1299 24-bit 8-channel ADC targeting EEG and biopotential measurements. Analog and digital design interfaces the ADC with an ESP32 WiFi microcontroller for wireless data streaming.

Gained interest and support from Intel Corporation. Fabricated and assembled — fully functional hardware.

Altium DesignerADS1299ESP32AnalogADCPCB
[ EXPAND ]
[01] TESLA_COIL.pcb● DONE

Solid-State Tesla Coil

Custom high-voltage H-bridge power supply PCB with resonant frequency adaptive feedback. UCLA IEEE support.

HV PCBRFPower
[ EXPAND ]
[02] NIXIE_CLK.pcb● DONE

Nixie Tube HV Clock

6-digit IN-12 Nixie Tube clock PCB with integrated STM32 MCU driving high-voltage open drain shift registers.

STM32HVPCB
[ EXPAND ]
[03] IDEA_HACKS.ino★ 1ST PLACE

AI Record Player — UCLA IDEA Hacks

AI-enabled record player. First place finish in the UCLA IDEA Hacks hardware & computer science hackathon.

AIHardwareHackathon
[ EXPAND ]
[04] LSPACE_WFC.py● DONE

NASA Wavefront Correction System

AI-guided adaptive optics for laser applications — bimorph mirrors & Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors. NASA L'SPACE.

NASAOpticsPython
[ EXPAND ]
[05] RADIO_LAB.rf● ACTIVE

IVC Wireless Radio Lab — ARDC Grant

Secured prestigious ARDC (Amateur Radio Digital Communications) grant and led construction of a new campus radio lab. Sponsored HAM exams for 300+ members. RF workshops, antenna builds, and community outreach throughout Southern California.

RFHam RadioARDC GrantAntennaCommunity
[ EXPAND ]

history.log

EXPERIENCE

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// WORK

JUN 2025 → PRESENT

Embedded Firmware & Hardware Design Engineer I

FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology · Irvine, CA
  • Own the full PCB lifecycle — schematic capture, mixed-signal layout, Panasonic SMT line assembly, and functional validation on the bench
  • Specializations: high-resolution ADC front-ends, RF circuit design, precision low-noise power systems
  • Products deployed in medical devices, surgical robotics, and aerospace instrumentation
  • Manage BOM creation and design documentation through Oracle PLM
JUL 2024 → JUN 2025

Intern — Electrical Design Engineer II

FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology · Irvine, CA
  • Developed low-level C firmware for STM32 and PIC32 sensor interface MCUs from bare-metal register level up through HAL abstraction
  • Designed multi-layer PCBs in Altium Designer with LTSpice simulation-verified analog signal chains
  • Built mathematical models in MATLAB and assembled hardware prototypes for design validation; maintained full documentation
JUN 2025 → PRESENT

L'SPACE NPWEE Project Scientist

NASA · Arizona State University
  • Designed an AI-guided adaptive optics system for high-precision laser applications — bimorph deformable mirrors correcting wavefront distortion measured by a Shack-Hartmann sensor array
  • Collaborated with graduate engineers and NASA professionals to produce a formal mission proposal submitted to NASA review panels
JAN – MAY 2025

NCAS Scholar · 3 Missions

NASA · JSC / Lunar Gateway / NCAS
  • Competitively selected for three separate NASA NCAS missions — one of very few community college students chosen multiple times
  • Immersive collaboration with NASA engineers and scientists on Lunar Gateway architecture, Johnson Space Center operations, and space systems instrumentation
SEP 2024 → PRESENT

Lab Specialist & Project Lead

Irvine Hacker Fab · UC Irvine · PI: Dr. Hung Cao
  • Designed a precision maskless photolithography machine capable of patterning sub-micron features on integrated semiconductor devices — eliminating the need for expensive photomasks
  • Engineered a high-vacuum sputtering and thermal evaporation system for thin-film semiconductor metallization, enabling in-house IC fabrication
MAR 2024 → PRESENT

President & RF Engineering Lead

IVC Wireless Technology Club · Irvine Valley College
  • Secured a prestigious ARDC (Amateur Radio Digital Communications) grant and led the design and construction of a fully equipped campus radio lab from the ground up
  • Organized HAM Radio licensing exams that certified 300+ members; ran RF engineering workshops and antenna-build events throughout Southern California and local high schools
SEP 2020 → DEC 2022

Laser Communications Lead

Irvine CubeSat STEM Program (ICSP) · Irvine Unified School District
  • Led laser and radio communications R&D contributing to the IRVINE03 CubeSat, which was successfully launched to low-Earth orbit
  • Wrote C programs to interface laser hardware with the satellite's on-board Linux environment, working directly from proprietary PCB schematics and documentation
  • Designed 3D-printed bench-marking and alignment tools; contributed hardware design for flight integration

// EDUCATION

FALL 2026 → SPRING 2028

B.S. Electrical & Computer Engineering

University of California, Berkeley · ECE
  • Incoming Fall 2026 — transferred with a perfect 4.0 after completing the full lower-division calculus, physics, and engineering sequence
  • Pursuing embedded systems, VLSI, signal processing, and computer architecture within UC Berkeley's EECS department
AUG 2024 → MAY 2026

A.S. Physics & Mathematics

Irvine Valley College · GPA: 4.00 · Summa Cum Laude
  • Graduated Summa Cum Laude with a perfect 4.0 across multi-variable calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, classical mechanics, and electromagnetism
  • Achieved top academic standing while concurrently working full-time as a hardware engineer at FUTEK and leading multiple engineering organizations on campus
  • Transferred to UC Berkeley ECE
CERTIFICATIONS

Licenses & Awards

Professional & Academic
  • FCC Amateur Radio License (Ham)
  • NASA NCAS Scholar — selected for 3 missions
  • ARDC Grant Recipient — Wireless Technology Club
  • UCLA IDEA Hacks — 1st Place, Hardware & CS
  • IVC Dean's List — every semester enrolled

contact.sh

ESTABLISH_LINK

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> Open to internships, research, and EE collaborations.
> Fastest response via email or LinkedIn.

💼
LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/sawyer-ferrell-3b015031a
 📧
Emailsawyerferrell@gmail.com
 ⌨
GitHubgithub.com/sawyerferrell
// SYSTEM_INFO
LOCATION.......: Irvine, CA
STATUS.........: OPEN_TO_WORK
RESPONSE_TIME..: < 24h
INTERESTS......: Firmware · PCB · RF · Adaptive Optics
~/contact/send_msg.sh
✓ TRANSMITTED // AWAITING RESPONSE...