Alex Walsh

Alex Walsh has a diverse work experience. They started their career as a Lieutenant in the Canadian Forces - Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) in 2009. In 2011, they became the Student President at the McGill Institute for Aerospace Engineering, where they organized a student aerospace forum and improved communication within the organization.

In 2012, Alex worked as a Flight Sciences Intern at Bombardier Aerospace, where they researched methods to automate parameter estimation processes and developed tools to harmonize aerodynamic models. They joined MERL in 2015 as an Engineering Intern, researching model predictive control algorithms for geostationary spacecraft.

In 2018, Alex became a Postdoctoral Researcher at McGill University, specializing in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) using structured light. They coded and implemented various Kalman filter and SLAM algorithms.

Alex's most recent position is as a Control Systems Engineer at Opener, starting in 2019. They design and execute flight tests for the BlackFly aircraft, implementing state-of-the-art estimation and control algorithms and analyzing flight data to improve performance, reliability, and safety.

Throughout their career, Alex has demonstrated expertise in various areas such as robotics, flexible structures, guidance systems, and model predictive control.

Alex Walsh's education history begins with their enrollment at Dawson College from 2007 to 2009, where they obtained a Diplome d'études collégiales in First Choice Pure and Applied Sciences. They then pursued their Bachelor of Engineering in Honours Mechanical Engineering at McGill University from 2009 to 2013. Later, from 2013 to 2015, they attended the University of Michigan and earned a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in Aerospace Engineering. Continuing their studies at the University of Michigan, they obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Aerospace Engineering from 2013 to 2018.

In addition to their main degrees, Alex Walsh has completed various certifications, including an Amateur Radio Licence: Technician from the Federal Communications Commission, a Commercial Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, a Commercial Pilot Licence from Transport Canada - Transports Canada, a Pilot certificate - small remotely piloted aircraft system, visual line-of-sight (basic) also from Transport Canada - Transports Canada, a Professional Engineer designation from Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, and a Rescue Diver certification from Scuba Schools International.