Derek Bridges

Derek Bridges is a highly experienced engineering professional with a strong background in aerospace and mechanical engineering. Currently serving as a Project Engineer and Principal Investigator at Piasecki Aircraft Corporation since January 2017, Derek has previously held positions including Doctoral Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant at Penn State University's Department of Aerospace Engineering, where significant contributions included the development of a two-way coupled flight simulation for rotorcraft and ship airwakes. Additionally, Derek has experience as a Mechanical Research Engineer at LIGO Livingston/Caltech, focusing on the Suspensions subsystem, and as an Assistant Research Engineer at Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory, where involvement in computational fluid dynamics was notable. Derek holds multiple advanced degrees in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University, underscoring a robust academic foundation.