Ron Picard

Ron Picard has a diverse work experience spanning multiple industries. Ron is currently the Director of Aircraft Autonomy at EpiSci since April 2023. Prior to this, they worked in the United States Air Force, where they held various roles. From July 2021 to April 2023, they served as an Experimentation Lead, and from February 2020 to July 2021, they worked as an Autonomy, Software, SIL, & Test Engineer. Ron also served as a Software Integration Engineer from February 2017 to February 2020.

Before joining the Air Force, Ron worked as a Software Engineer at SRC from January 2016 to February 2017. During their time at SRC, they led a research effort on machine learning and developed waveform pattern visualization and analysis tools.

Ron started their career as a Materials/Metallurgical Engineer in the United States Air Force from April 2015 to December 2015. Ron gained experience in MATLAB simulations and performed metallographic characterization.

Prior to their military service, Ron worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Ferco Aerospace Group from September 2014 to April 2015. Here, they solved an issue related to Kfactor expansion in an air bending manufacturing process.

Ron also briefly worked as a Product Engineer at ACCO Brands in 2014, where they reviewed pre-production products and tracked product information and progress in databases.

Ron Picard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wright State University between 2013 and 2016. Ron then pursued further education at Vanderbilt University, where they obtained a Master of Engineering degree in Cyber-Physical Systems from 2018 to 2019. Additionally, Ron has obtained several certifications, including a Private Pilot - Single Engine Land license from the Federal Aviation Administration in July 2021, an Amateur Radio (HAM) Technician Class License from the Federal Communications Commission in April 2022, a General Mobile Radio Service License from the Federal Communications Commission in June 2020, and a First Aid CPR AED certification from the Always CPR Training Center in June 2016.