Robert A. Sutherland

6710 Scottsville Rd Scottsville, VA 24590 Phone: 571-217-0134 E-Mail: bubbasuth@yahoo.com

Summary

Highly skilled System Engineer with extensive experience in leading critical multi-disciplinary product development. Proven track

record in program management, solutions implementation and infrastructure organization (Project Engineer, Group Manager,

Engineering Director and VP Engineering Positions). Nominally a generalist, adept at synthesizing unique solutions to complex

communications system requirements utilizing analog and digital signal processing techniques.

Objective

Obtain a position in a growth company where I can contribute with my diverse expertise in product development while honing advanced

expertise consistent with advancing technology.

Experience

V.P Engineering, NeXXCom Wireless, LLC, La Jolla,CA 2013 - 2015

Defined, specified, procured and deployed software infrastructure for field issue reporting and management.

Involved at all levels of vendor management to guarantee quality and timely field deployment of multi-section (concatenated point-to-

point) Microwave and mm-Wave communications links using commercially available products and services.

Responsible for all product development intended for internal use in Microwave and mm-Wave link deployment, in both contract

and direct forms.

Participated in high level technical presentations to prospective and current customers.

Consulting Engineer, Baisers de Cheval, LLC, Scottsville, VA 2012-2013

Responsible for design and evaluation of an R&D project for a confidential customer utilizing 3-D EM (FEKO) simulation to

optimize a small-arms accessory communications system.

Part of a small team evaluating an RF water treatment system to supplement or replace chemical treatments.

Responsible for a report evaluating and recommending various approaches in support of low latency Microwave and mm-Wave

networks in support of a CBOE trading house.

Functioned as technical advisor to NeXXCom Wireless during initial phases of start-up

Director of Engineering, Gigabeam Acquisition Corporation (Gigabeam Corporation), RTP, NC 2004-2012

The first ‘non-founder’ employee. Responsible for engineering infrastructure and management related to software, firmware and

hardware development.

Uniquely and directly responsible for system design encompassing baseband processing (modulation, demodulation, FEC encode,

FEC decode, encryption, decryption, mux, demux), uController, FPGA power sequencing, various switching supplies, etc.

Principal Investigator for a National Science Foundation grant exploring the feasibility of developing a 256-QAM Modem supporting

10Gb/s transport in E-Band. Phase 1 complete, with Phase 2 proposal for an E-band Radio using such a Modem has been

submitted.

Responsible for overall System behavioral modeling using Simulink and MATLAB, as well as ADS (Ptolemy) elements.

Designer of the main signal processing board containing DSP FPGA, uController, Power Supply and ancillary support electronics.

Aided in the physical design evaluation of the entire front-end through the use of ADS and HFSS structural modeling.

Managed digital and software design through the use of various consultants, while maintaining code versioning using a Subversion

secure public web server.

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Identified and managed deployment of VPN-based integrated PCB design suite used internally and by subcontractors to ensure

product consistency and maximize design re-use.

Identified and managed deployment of web-based bug-reporting system (JIRA) and blog discussion boards (Confluence) accessible

internally and externally for sales and technical personnel worldwide.

Sr. System Engineer, Wheels of Zeus, Los Gatos, CA 2003

Participated in a small team of technologists put together by Steve Wozniak to evaluate opportunities for GPS in the consumer

market not related to traditional position location and mapping paradigms.

Sr. System Engineer, BitBlitz, Fremont, CA 2002-2003

Responsible for system simulation and standards body participation for analog and digital channel-compensation Integrated Circuits

supporting the emerging CX-4 10Gb/s Cu based I/O and 6Gb/s back-plane standards, respectively.

Sr. System Engineer, Blaze Networks, Dublin, CA 1999-2002

Responsible for 10Gb/S high speed opto-electric design using Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplex multi-mode VCSELs in the

850nm range.

Sr. System Engineer, Cypress Semiconductor, Sunnyvale, CA 1997-1999

Product Definition Engineer for new semiconductor products

Began internal IR&D with several others to develop IP libraries for sale through Avant! pipeline, which was accentuated with the

purchase of Arcus Technology. Avant! ultimately decided IP development was not a core interest, so Arcus was spun out and sold

to Cypress Semiconductor

Initially began at Meta-Software to develop mixed-model simulation environment using elements of Ptolemy and Verilog-A, but

Company was bought by Avant!, which cancelled the project.

Sr. System Engineer, MicroUnity, Sunnyvale, CA 1990-1996

Individual contributor to aspects of IC System design in support of a revolutionary ‘Media Processor’ pioneered by MicroUnity. As

such, was involved in both Analog and Digital Signal Processing elements of an overall system and developed tools to model

performance of both with the intent of optimizing portioning.

Sr. System Engineer (co-Founder), Ashtech (now Magellan), Sunnyvale, CA 1987-1990

Responsible for the development of all RF and Microwave subsystems in the initial generation of GPS Survey product for both L1

(C/A) and L2 (codeless) supporting 1st

order survey capability.

Sr. RF Engineer, Trimble Navigation, Sunnyvale, CA 1984-1987

Responsible for the development of all RF and Microwave subsystems in the initial three generations of digital correlation GPS

receivers pioneered by Trimble Navigation.

Sr. Microwave Engineer, Litton EDD, San Carlos, CA 1983-1984

Project Manager for two high profile Solid State MMIC products for Defense related customers. In one case was assigned as a

troubleshooter to fix a program that had already gone through 2 PMs, and brought project to completion in 6 months.

Engineering Manager, Dexcel, Santa Clara, CA 1978-1983

Directly developed modular MMIC product line from 1-18GHz, including industry leading medium power designs as well as cutting

edge 6-18GHz capability.

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Managed MMIC Engineering where a small staff of 3 engineers continued development of targeted amplifier designs.

Member of the Technical Staff, Watkins Johnson, Palo Alto, CA 1976-1978

Project Engineer on several Microwave product developments. Most notable are the MMIC TWT replacement amplifiers spanning

0.5-18GHz using traditional octave (or less) frequency breaks

Patents

Direct digital frequency synthesizer using sigma-delta techniques (5,563,535). Method and apparatus for decorrelation of

mutually contaminated digital signals (5,541,867). Global positioning system receiver with improved radio frequency and

digital processing (4,928,106).

Education

BSEE, University of California, Berkeley, CA

References furnished upon request.