No. 01

Portfolio

Lucas Chiang

Electrical engineering student at Purdue building low-power systems, thin-film devices, and chip-scale platforms.

Hands-on researcher and design leader with published work in wearable thermoelectric energy harvesting and exoplanet light-curve validation. Currently learning System-on-Chip design, systemVerilog, Digital Design, and Circuitry through Purdue System-on-Chip Extension Technologies and onboarding with the propulsion team on Purdue Orbital.

Education: Purdue University — Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering (Class of 2030); Minors in Computer Engineering and Management.

Secondary Education: River Hill High School — Diploma with focus in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Sep 2022 – May 2026). Coursework included AP Physics C (Mechanics, E&M), AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Biology, and Differential Equations.

Research Experiences

Published Papers

Research Posters

Years Robotics Leadership

No. 02

Section 02

Research Projects

Sustainable Wearable Electronics — Thermoelectric Power Systems

University of Maryland, Baltimore County — July 2025 – August 2026 · Baltimore, MD

Designed a PCB/IC platform on a breadboard that generates an electrical pulse every few minutes using thermoelectric generators (TEGs)—sufficient to power a wearable electrocardiograph long enough to capture a reading. Led PCB fabrication and tested 10 trials across 4 TEG configurations with 3+ controlled environmental variables to identify the most efficient array.

Published as: "Utilization of Commercial Peltier Thermoelectric Generators for Continuous Wearable Device Use," Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship, June 2026. Found no significant gain from series TEGs but a clear improvement from heat sinks. Read the publication →

Research poster: Modulation of Electrical Transport and Structural Properties of CaMnO3 Epitaxial Thin Films — Poster presented at Towson University — view full PDF

Calcium Manganese Oxide Thin Films

Towson University — July 2025 – August 2025 · Towson, MD

Fabricated 10 CMO thin-film metal-oxide samples via pulsed laser deposition and measured electrical resistance with the four-point probe method. Gained ISO 7 clean-room experience while fluorinating 5+ films by spin-coating. Collaborated with graduate researchers to correlate structural properties (X-ray diffraction) with electrical transport behavior.

Observatory / exoplanet research imagery

Exoplanet Light Curve Validation (TOI 5868.01)

George Mason University — Summer 2024 · Fairfax, VA

Examined ground-based light-curve data from the George Mason Telescope with AstroImageJ to validate a TESS Object of Interest as a candidate exoplanet. Built a Python Jupyter Notebook pipeline that formatted 100+ images into light-curve data and performed the preliminary analysis of TOI 5868.01.

Published as: "Ground-Based Light Curve Follow-Up Validation Observations of TESS Object of Interest (TOI) 5868.01," George Mason MARS Repository, August 2024. Concluded a high likelihood that TOI 5868.01 is a genuine exoplanet, while noting further work is needed to rule out a false positive. Read the publication →

No. 03

Section 03

Experience & Leadership

Current Technical Roles — Purdue University

STARS Chip Design Program — Purdue SoCET

Purdue System-on-Chip Extension Technologies · August 2026 – Present · West Lafayette, IN

Building foundations in digital logic, circuit design, transistors, and SystemVerilog.

Purdue Orbital - Propulsion

September 2026 – Present · West Lafayette, IN

Onboarding to the propulsion team with an interest in working on the Data Aquisition Systems (DAQ).

Prior Research & Professional Experience

Sustainable Wearable Electronics Researcher

University of Maryland Baltimore County — July 2025 – August 2026 · Baltimore, MD · On-site

Designed and fabricated a TEG-powered PCB/IC platform capable of generating periodic pulses to briefly power a wearable electrocardiograph. Executed 10 controlled trials across multiple TEG arrays and environmental variables; led PCB fabrication.

X-ray diffraction / thin film characterization

Thin Films Research Intern

Towson University — July 2025 – August 2025 · Towson, MD · On-site

Fabricated 10 CMO thin-film samples by pulsed laser deposition, performed four-point probe resistance measurements, and completed ISO 7 clean-room fluorination of 5+ films. Collaborated with graduate researchers on XRD structural characterization.

NASA Data Science & Scholarly Research Intern

George Mason University, Schar School — Summer 2024 · Fairfax, VA

Analyzed ground-based light-curve data with AstroImageJ and a custom Python Jupyter Notebook pipeline (100+ images) to validate exoplanet candidate TOI 5868.01 against JWST expectations. Results published in the George Mason MARS Repository.

Swim Instructor

Columbia Association — June 2023 – January 2025 · Columbia, MD · Part-time

Taught children ages 6–12 the four basic strokes and foundational water skills. Led large classes and tracked individual progress across six-week sessions to refine lesson plans.

Leadership

Design Leader & Outreach Lead — Team 18996

FIRST Tech Challenge (STATIC) — September 2020 – June 2026 · Clarksville, MD

Directed design-team meetings and applied risk-management methods to guide 30+ subsystem requirements and 20+ 3D-printed/CNC prototypes each season. Wired robot electrical systems and iterated intake/transfer mechanisms more than 10 times; 3D-printed over half the robot’s parts in Fusion 360. Led outreach for three years, securing 10+ sponsors and teaching STEM to underserved youth in Baltimore (raised over $10,000 in a single year).

Student Leadership — River Hill High School

September 2022 – May 2026

Co-President and Founder of the River Hill Economics Club and Engineering Club. Captain of Cross Country and member of Track & Field. Vice President of the Maryland Technology Honor Society (River Hill Chapter). Section Leader in the River Hill Marching Band and Wind Ensemble.

No. 04

Section 04

Skills

Hardware

PCB Design & Manufacturing, Digital Logic Design, Circuit Design, Integrated Circuits, Materials Characterization, Pulsed Laser Deposition, Four-point Probe, X-ray Diffraction.

Programming

Python, C, SystemVerilog, MATLAB, Java. Jupyter Notebook pipelines, light-curve analysis, data formatting and visualization.

Tools & Platforms

Linux, Fusion 360, STK, AstroImageJ, clean-room spin-coating.

Leadership & Research Practice

Project & risk management, sponsorship development, academic publishing, technical writing, STEM outreach, team design leadership.

No. 05

Section 05

Interactive Timeline

Scroll sideways (or click-and-drag) to move through each stop along the way.

Sep 2020

Design & Outreach Leader
Team 18996, FIRST Tech Challenge

Joined FTC Team 18996 (STATIC). Over six seasons led design meetings for 30+ subsystem requirements, iterated 20+ prototypes, wired electrical systems, and ran outreach that secured 10+ sponsors and raised over $10,000 in one year.

Sep 2022

Student Leadership Begins
River Hill High School

Founded and co-presided over the Economics and Engineering Clubs, served as Cross Country captain, Maryland Technology Honor Society vice president, and marching-band section leader.

Jun 2023

Swim Instructor
Columbia Association

Taught ages 6–12 the four basic strokes and water safety, leading large classes and tracking individual progress over six-week sessions.

Summer 2024

NASA Research Intern
George Mason University

Built a Python + AstroImageJ pipeline for 100+ images to validate exoplanet candidate TOI 5868.01. Work published in the George Mason MARS Repository.

Jul 2025

Wearable Thermoelectrics
UMBC

Designed TEG-powered PCB platforms for wearable ECG use, ran 10 controlled trials, led fabrication, and published findings in the Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship.

Jul 2025

CMO Thin Film Research
Towson University

Grew 10 calcium manganese oxide thin films by pulsed laser deposition, fluorinated films in an ISO 7 clean room, and characterized them with XRD and four-point probe.

Aug 2026

Purdue SoCET

Joined the STARS Chip Design Program (KiCAD, systemVerilog, Digital Logic, Circuitry)

Sept 2026

Purdue Orbital
Propulsion Member

Began onboarding for propulsion team.