Fall 2024 Academic Associates
Adriane Inocencio
Adriane is a Software Engineer at Intel with 3 years experience in web development, where he currently develops software for strategic planners managing the fab. He has previously worked in the trucking industry where he created software to assist brokers booking loads for carriers. On the side, he personally contracts his skills and develops websites for clients such as research landing pages or personal websites. He has a BSE in Computer Systems Engineering from ASU and has been involved in EPICS during all 4 years of his undergrad where he worked on Bridge2Africa. In his free time he enjoys playing/watching basketball, trying new food, sim racing, and reading.
Alexandria Bisher
Alexandria Bisher is an academic associate for the Fall 2024 semester of EPICS.
Amanda Farr
Amanda Farr is an academic associate for the Fall 2024 semester of EPICS.
Bryan Yavari
Bryan Yavari has been an EPICS student, grader, and UGTA over the last four years. Bryan has experience in medical research such as cancer, cardiology, and medical devices. He is the Team Leader for Project Koyash, where their team built air purification systems for families in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He has experience in medical and international projects and is happy to help teams with any questions. Bryan is excited to work with students, faculty, and community partners to create solutions.
Cody Gillespie
I am a software engineer with five years of industry experience. I was a member of EPICS for two years during my undergraduate degree. I graduated from ASU in December of 2019 with a degree in Computer Science and I have been working at a small embedded systems company ever since. I currently lead the software team at my work and I have a broad range of experience ranging from the low level (C, C++, Assembly) to the high level (C#, Python, Machine Learning). I love engineers and value the mentorship both as a mentor and as a mentee and I am over the moon to be able to be involved with EPICS again!
Gabby Fernandez
Gabby Fernandez is a Process Engineer at Microchip Technology Inc. in Tempe, AZ. She recently graduated from ASU in May of 2023 with a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering. She participated in the EPICS program as an undergraduate student at ASU and was an active member of SWE. Since graduation she has participated in several on campus events and career fairs in Tempe and is open to giving advice to any job-seeking students. Her technical area of focus is semiconductor manufacturing/wafer processing. In her free time she enjoys traveling, playing ping pong, and pool.
Gabe Gerbic
I have worked as a judge for EPICS in the past and that lead me to become a mentor, in order to help students in their iteration process. I have a background in biomechanics, exercise physiology and anatomy & physiology. I have taught exercise science and nutrition for years within the Maricopa CC system and look forward to being able to help students with any projects where I can be of added value.
Hank Murphy
Hank Murphy graduated summa cum laude from ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business with a BS in Management (Entrepreneurship) in 2012. He spent six years working for Amazon in operations, leading a team of 3,500 customer service associates and later a team of web developers building internal software tools for operators. After Amazon, Hank spent five years at Walmart in a variety of technical roles, most recently as the Director of Analytics on the Energy Transformation team, where he was responsible for the analysis supporting Walmart’s heavy-duty truck fleet’s conversion to zero-emission vehicles. In August 2024, Hank left Walmart to launch Bad Hambres (www.badhambres.com), a business delivering obsessively crafted frozen bean and cheese burritos to customers, starting in the Phoenix area. Hank has expertise in business strategy, financial modeling, and software development (Python and JavaScript).
India Schneider-Crease
I am an assistant professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change and the Center for Evolution and Medicine at ASU. My One Health research on human and wildlife diseases takes place in Ethiopia, where I am a co-director of the Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project. I have been working with Engineers Without Borders/EPICS on a plastic recycling project in Ethiopia since 2020.
Isabella Werner
Computer Systems Engineering with a concentration in cybersecurity and internships at American Express and the University of Phoenix focused on web development. 2 consecutive semesters and a study abroad experience with EPICS on the Vietnam Shrimp Farming team. Familiar with JavaScript, Python, Web Development, 3D Modeling, Project Management, Cross Cultural Collaboration, and Public Speaking.
John Rader
I currently work full time with ASU as one of our ET (Enterprise Technology) Senior Cyber Security Engineers. My previous position was a Systems Analyst with our LMS (Learning Management System) Canvas team. I graduated at ASU with my CIS (Computer Information Systems) degree. I have been in the IT field for over 15+ years. I have completed 2 EPICS Projects in the past that have been successful during my time as a student with ASU. Some of my areas of expertise would be Leadership, Project Management, Coding (Java, C++, HTML, CSS, and Python), LTI and API knowledge, Customer Service, Cyber Security (Pen Testing, Vulnerability Testing, Arch Diagrams) and working with 3rd Parties for business proposals.
Joshua Loughman
My name is Josh Loughman and I am the Director of Modeling and Technology for the US-based climate policy think tank, Climate Interactive. I am a human-centered designer, a sociotechnical systems engineer, a climate scientist, and an energy futurist.
Judy Amanor-Boadu, PhD
Judy Amanor-Boadu, PhD. is an electrical engineer with 10+ years experiences in the semiconductor, PC, and battery charging industries. She currently holds the position of senior analog engineer at Intel Corporation where she focuses on power delivery modeling and characterization of Intel data center products. She also provides implementation guidelines, performs feasibilities studies, design verification, and sign offs of current and future generations of Xeon processors and accelerators.
She is strong believer in the power of mentorship and the overall career development of people. During her doctoral studies at Texas A&M University, she served as the mentor for the first all-female autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) team to participate in the AUVSI Robosub competition, where she helped team members develop their practical engineering, project management, and budgeting skills. She also served as an advisor for the SAE Supermileage and Vex-U teams and cofounded several student organizations, serving as a career resource for both undergraduates and graduate students during her time at Texas A&M University.
She served as the FY16 National Graduate Society of Women Engineers (SWE) webinar coordinator and Texas A&M University SWE mentorship coordinator from 2014 to 2016. During her tenure, she developed programs for both undergraduate and graduate students concerning career paths and job interviews. She also co-organized the first IEEE African workshop on Circuits and Systems in Ghana in 2017, and sits on the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology 2020 conference committee. Dr. Amanor-Boadu regularly serves as a reviewer for MDPI journals. She is currently piloting a robotics and entrepreneurship program for middles schoolers in Accra, Ghana.
Her current and past research activities include the development of lithium ion battery charging algorithms, energy harvesting, specifically solar energy harvesting systems, and wireless charging.
Judy Amanor-Boadu holds Bachelor and Masters of Science, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering.
Kelly Anderson
I graduated from ASU and Barrett with my Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering in 2021. While at ASU, I was an EPICS student for two years leading a reptile misting system project for the Phoenix Zoo, and an EPICS UGTA for an additional year! I currently work at W. L. Gore & Associates as an Electrical Controls engineer, designing electrical panels and writing PLC code for our machines that make medical devices. Expertise: PLC code, AutoCAD electrical, laser cutting(!!), Excel, basics of Arduino and RaspberryPi, team leadership/mentorship, project management.
Kevin Murray
Hello, my name is Kevin and I am an ASU alumni, I graduated in 2020 with my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Systems Engineering. I took the EPICS course on the Polytechnic campus as a freshman back in 2016. At my current job I help design, test, and maintain the manufacturing of different safety products for use in the mining industry. My areas of expertise include manufacturing, printed circuit boards/electronics, and 3D‐modeling/printing.
Mike Amato
I have experience working in smaller companies and startups, primarily within the edTech industry. Currently, I develop tools that assist teachers in delivering project-based learning in schools. I participated in EPICS for a year during my undergrad and spent most semesters as a TA, focusing on project-based environments. I tend to work on hardware and software engineering projects, particularly those with a business model in mind.
Paul Balch
Paul Blach is an academic associate for the Fall 2024 semester of EPICS.
Peter Fischer
Peter Fischer joined EPICS in 2022 as a Community Partner on two team projects, and now returns for his 4th semester as Industry Mentor. Peter holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor in Architecture from Arizona State University. Peter has been working towards inclusive accessible design for over two decades serving on the Phoenix Mayor’s Commission on Disability Issues from 2006 to 2010, and as the City of Phoenix’s City-wide ADA Coordinator for five years. Today, Peter is the Coordinator of Accessibility Compliance at Arizona State University where he reviews construction design and plans for accessibility compliance to enhance ASU’s progressive vision of accessibility innovation.
Raul Meraz
Raul Meraz is an academic associate for the Fall 2024 semester of EPICS.
Rubayat Mahmud
Dr. Rubayat Mahmud is a Regional Sales Director with HCL Technology. Rubayat has a 16+ years of professional experience. He is a motivational and approachable sales and business development leader with extensive track record of success in Hi-tech, Semiconductor and Emerging Technology areas. He is a business savvy person with a strong technical background who has the vision of relationships and partnerships required to scale in the Hi-tech, Semiconductor and Emerging Technology verticals. Rubayat has deep understanding of the overall technology value chain and has experiences in interacting with customers and partners across the Engineering and R&D value chain. Rubayat is a respected business strategist and change maker with sound judgment who creates and grows new revenue streams by combining deep technical knowledge and exceptional communications and relationship skills to meet the needs of internal and external customers.
Rubayat has extensive experience in multiple leadership roles in the Hi-Tech and Semiconductor verticals. Before joining HCL, he was serving as Director of Strategic Services at a Management Consulting Firm called MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA). At MSSBTA, Rubayat was responsible for driving strategic growth in the Hi-Tech vertical. Before MSS, Rubayat worked as Director of Sales and Business Development at QuEST Global Services. At QuEST, Rubayat drove Sales and Business Development with marquee accounts like Intel, Dell, Infineon etc. Before QuEST Rubayat spent 11 years with Intel in multiple leadership roles. He started his journey at Intel as a Senior Process Engineer, Litho, PTD in Portland, OR. In subsequent years, he worked in CQN, ATTD, Technology Integration and IOTG groups in various technical and business-related roles.
Rubayat has an MBA from W P Carey School of Business at ASU. He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M and a MSc. In Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University.
Tyson Elias
Tyson Elias is an associate vice president within enterprise architecture governance at MUFG Bank, Ltd. As an additional part of his role, he is involved with business system administration, standing to production an architecture strategy tool that will improve app rationalization and change-impact planning. Although having received his B.S.E. in Industrial Engineering in 2021, has now pursued an MBA that will be completed by the end of this term. Outside of work and school, Tyson enjoys watching movies, cooking some of his favorite meals, and playing pickleball.
Vartenie Aramali
Vartenie Aramali holds a PhD in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering and has extensive experience in project and construction management. She has managed large-scale and complex projects worth billions of dollars across the power, oil, gas, and renewable energy sectors. Vartenie’s skills in project management, data analysis, machine learning, and AI have been applied in both academic and professional contexts. As a faculty member and assistant professor, she has mentored students for several years.
