1. ROBERT MACKENZIE PIERSON
31896 Via Oso ● Trabuco Canyon ● CA 92679 ● 949.702.0979 ● rpierson@seas.upenn.edu
EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA
Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) Anticipated Graduation: December 2017
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Major: Systems Science and Engineering (Concentration: Biomechanical Systems)
Minor: Mechanical Engineering
WORK EXPERIENCE AND INTERNSHIPS
ALPHATEC SPINE - Carlsbad, CA August 2015 - December 2015
Alphatec Spine develops products for the treatment of spinal disorders associated with trauma, congenital deformities and degeneration.
R&D Co-Op Engineering Intern, Product Design Team
 Provided engineering support to the Interbody product design team in the product design and development of Company’s first
Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion (LLIF) system.
 Drove development of market differentiated LLIF surgical instrumentation cases from design phase through prototype
development. Developed market surveys and analyzed competitor systems to help finalize product design of instrumentation
sets for LLIF procedure sequenced to surgical technique, saving the customer intraoperative time and reducing costs.
 Engineered LLIF instrumentation cases to pass sterilization and shipping validations; worked with a contract manufacturer to
build prototype cases developed for validation.
 Assisted in design reviews and cadaver testing for system validation throughout product design phase. Generated CAD models,
part and assembly drawings. Created and routed engineering change orders for new parts and part revisions in the Product
Lifecycle Management system.
SECURE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS – Santa Ana, CA May 2015 – August 2015
Secure Communications Systems (SCS) develops ruggedized mission-planning and encrypted-communication vehicular and personal
computing systems for the U.S. military, emergency service providers and various commercial industries.
Systems Engineering Intern
 Worked directly with SCS domestic customers to identify system reliability requirements. Conducted failure rate analysis on
products using ReliaSoft software.
 Conducted Accelerated Stress Testing (HALT/HASS, vibration, temp, humidity, dust, EMC/EMI, liquid ingress protection,
mechanical impact) to detect failures and ensure product reliability in the field, validating and verifying corrections are made.
BRANCHPOINT TECHNOLOGIES – Irvine, CA May 2014 – December 2014
Branchpoint Technologies is an early-stage medical device start-up focused on the development of a wireless neuro-implant.
Mechanical Engineering Intern
 Provided critical engineering design support for new a product through the conclusion of the design phase.
 Designed and executed testing procedures for the analysis of materials, scientific concepts and physical geometries. Utilized
simulation software (i.e.: SolidWorks, Magneto) to discern the direction of component design and testing. Co-developed the
proprietary design used to effectively provide power to the device external power source assembly and patient attachment.
Listed as co-inventor on Company provisional patent listing.
 Responsible for supporting mechanical engineering function for Company through product design phase. Managed and
developed Company’s SolidWorks master library, consisting of over 100 parts/assemblies, in compliance with FDA traceability
requirements. Developed animations for simulating the manufacturing and assembly procedures for Operations officers to train
workers on the process. Managed the 3D printing of prototype parts for form factor analysis.
APPLIED MEDICAL CORPORATION – Irvine, CA May 2012 – August 2012
Engineering Intern, Process Development
 Evaluated various methods of reducing costs and improving efficiencies within manufacturing processes to include inspection,
sterilization, and transportation processes. Produced plans and requirements for the development of laser inspection machines.
SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP
Engineers Without Borders- Engineer- Cameroon, Africa- May, 2014 August 2012 – Present
Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity- Officer- Executive Council January 2013 – Present
Eagle Scout, Troop 918- Lake Forest, CA December 2010 – Present
DESIGN SOFTWARE EXPERTISE
SolidWorks, Altium, MATLAB, Magneto, ReliaSoft, Lambda Predict, Replicator G, Rapid Prototyping, Microsoft Office