About Me

Who Am I?

Hi, I'm Ian Brown! I am a May 2024 Virginia Tech graduate with bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering and I'm seeking employment as a software, communications, or signal processing engineer. Throughout my studies and internships, I specialized in wireless communications, including digital signal processing (DSP), radio frequency (RF), and cellular communications.

I have internship and capstone experience with embedded Linux software development, C/C++, Python, phased array beamforming, 5G, and project management. I am also passionate about entrepreneurship, business, and finance and hope to eventually pursue my MBA.

Education

August 2023 – May 2024
Concentration in Signal Processing & Cellular Communications
GPA: 3.62/4.00; magna cum laude

Awards and Extracurriculars

  • Johnson Fellowship
  • Coral Bank Hollow Band, Drummer

January 2021 – May 2023
Concentration in Communications & Networking
GPA: 3.82/4.00; summa cum laude

Awards and Extracurriculars

  • Sarah C. Minton Engineering Scholarship
  • Gilbert L. and Lucille C. Seay Scholarship
  • Best in Course Award: Signals & Systems
  • Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, Social Media Chair

August 2019 – December 2020
GPA: 3.82/4.00

Awards and Extracurriculars

  • A. James Clark Scholarship
  • Climbing Club, Secretary

Work Experience

Founder at Droplet Technologies, Inc. February 2024 – Present

  • Attended conferences, conducted market research, and held customer interviews
  • Learned business development and project management skills leading a fast-paced, interdisciplinary project

DSP Embedded Software Intern at CACI May 2023 – August 2023

  • Directly contributed to high-priority Secretary of Defense-level initiative through C++ and Python embedded Linux software development
  • Expertly navigated large, unfamiliar code bases to process VITA 49 signal data via UDP and TCP
  • Developed four unique signal resampling solutions with different performance characteristics

RF Intern at Shared Spectrum Company May 2022 – August 2022

  • Performed signal analysis on a beamforming algorithm that was used in multiple customer presentations
  • Discovered method of using beamforming algorithm that provided extra 10 dB of performance gain
  • Wrote embedded software for phased array calibration and angle of arrival estimation that consolidated a previous approach and enabled usage in demonstrations and other projects
My Work

Projects

Rainfall Prediction Using Commercial 5G Cellular Links

Master's Capstone Project
August 2023 – May 2024
  • Developed machine learning models using mmWave 5G to predict whether or not it is raining with 90% accuracy
  • Deployed and debugged a network of sensors used to access physical layer parameters of commercial 5G links
  • Founded Droplet Technologies Inc. to assess commercial viability of technology

Analog Devices X-Band Hybrid Phased Array Beamforming

Senior Design Project
August 2022 – May 2023
  • Developed hybrid phased array beamforming demonstration that tracked AoA of an RF source from 200 meters
  • Partnered with Analog Devices to demonstrate capabilities of their new development platform
  • Wrote new internal transmit calibration script that eliminated need for $250,000 spectrum analyzer

Optical Character Recognition for Business Cards

Computer Vision (ECE 5554) Final Project
August 2023 – December 2023
  • Developed algorithm that inputs photos of business cards, recognizes text in different fields, and stores data in a CSV file

Arduino 433 MHz Communication System

Integrated Design Project
August 2021 – December 2021
  • Designed low-power 433 MHz communication system between Arduinos to wirelessly transmit temperature data using frequency shift keying
  • Wrote MATLAB code to manually demodulate received signal and recover message
  • Minimized reflection coefficient of quarter-length dipole antenna using vector network analyzer
Get in Touch

Contact

ianbrown@vt.edu

linkedin.com/in/ian-j-brown