Hi, my name is Derek!

I am an engineer, racer, motorcycle rider, and overall adrenaline junkie who is passionate about anything that is racing against the clock.

After graduating from Clemson University in May 2020, I started my career at Pratt Miller in Huntersville, NC as a Simulation and Application Support Engineer.

Who am I?

I am the culmination of my experiences and the people who inspire me. I am someone who thrives in fast-paced, high-stress environments. I am very high energy. I love being challenged and am comfortable being uncomfortable. I am very organized and meticulous. My team often leaned on me to machine parts or perform tasks which require high precision. One of the things I love to do is clean up and put tools back in their proper place after spending all night getting the Formula SAE car setup for a competition or testing weekend. It’s almost therapeutic.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

As someone who loves science, I love asking questions and my curiosity to explore the unknown is very high. I like to take ideas and explore them from different perspectives. I am someone who enjoys being around a diverse set of people because they tend to have different perspectives on ideas and ways to approach problems. At the same time, when it comes to asking questions, first I’ll take initiative and explore ideas and concepts before seeking outside information. Being “stuck” is very exciting because it means I’ll soon learn something new.

I’m a firm believer that sleep is for the weak and sane. I’m somewhat kidding, but when I look back on my life thus far, I don’t remember the nights that I had plenty of sleep. I remember the late nights, early mornings, and all-nighters on the Formula SAE team and at Tesla. I remember spending hours upon hours designing in SolidWorks, performing FEA in ANSYS, writing vehicle dynamics programs, and analyzing data. I remember working through the night to put the engine back in the car and perform car setup for the competition or testing day the following day. I remember spending more hours than I can count jigging the chassis tubes and suspension components. My point is that I’d much rather be with my team, working on the car to improve its performance than be at home binge watching Netflix.