T. Kim Parnell, PhD, PE
0 reviews
Listed in Automotive, Aviation, Biomedical Engineering, Electronics, Failure Analysis, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Machinery, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Devices
- Sunnyvale, California
- (408)203-9443
- parnell-eng.com
- kim.parnell@stanfordalumni.org
Company Name: Parnell Engineering & Consulting
Blog Address: parnell-eng.com
Education and Credentials:
Stanford University, PhD Mechanical Engineering
Stanford University, MSME Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Tech, BES Engineering Science & Mechanics
Licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer (PE) in State of California
ASME Fellow
IEEE Senior Member
ASM Member
SAE Member
Stanford University, MSME Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Tech, BES Engineering Science & Mechanics
Licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer (PE) in State of California
ASME Fellow
IEEE Senior Member
ASM Member
SAE Member
Specialties:
I am active as a Mechanical Engineering Consultant and as an Expert Witness for litigation in areas including medical devices, patents, consumer products, mechanical engineering, and heavy-truck crashworthiness. I am a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer in CA.
I focus in composite materials, failure analysis, reliability, medical device and biotechnology applications. In addition to this depth, one of my strengths is a breadth of experience in a wide range of engineering and technology applications. I am qualified in broad areas of Mechanical Engineering as an expert, either for expert witness/litigation support or in consulting. These applications include finite element simulation, medical device design, patent issues, composite failure, wind energy, and vehicle crashworthiness. I am an ASME Fellow, IEEE Senior Member, and Member of SAE & ASM. I am Past-Chair of the IEEE-SCV Section, active in the IEEE Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley (IEEE-CNSV) and Past-Chair. I have significant experience in the area of heavy-truck crashworthiness and rollover. I taught full-time at Santa Clara University in Mechanical Engineering covering courses in Materials, Manufacturing, Design, Finite Elements, and Composite Materials.. I also taught graduate courses at Stanford University and a number of short courses in mechanical design, failure analysis & reliability.
Specialties: Stents, stent-grafts, Nitinol, catheters, guidewires, tissue, medical device, biotech, design, prototype, simulation, spine, mechanical, composite, fatigue, nanotech, MEMs, forensic engineering, FEA, finite element analysis, reliability, nanobiotech, intellectual property, patents, consumer electronics, telecom, fiber optics, product development in China/Asia Pacific, solar/wind/alternative energy, electric vehicles, battery shock vibration, heavy-truck rollover, composites
I focus in composite materials, failure analysis, reliability, medical device and biotechnology applications. In addition to this depth, one of my strengths is a breadth of experience in a wide range of engineering and technology applications. I am qualified in broad areas of Mechanical Engineering as an expert, either for expert witness/litigation support or in consulting. These applications include finite element simulation, medical device design, patent issues, composite failure, wind energy, and vehicle crashworthiness. I am an ASME Fellow, IEEE Senior Member, and Member of SAE & ASM. I am Past-Chair of the IEEE-SCV Section, active in the IEEE Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley (IEEE-CNSV) and Past-Chair. I have significant experience in the area of heavy-truck crashworthiness and rollover. I taught full-time at Santa Clara University in Mechanical Engineering covering courses in Materials, Manufacturing, Design, Finite Elements, and Composite Materials.. I also taught graduate courses at Stanford University and a number of short courses in mechanical design, failure analysis & reliability.
Specialties: Stents, stent-grafts, Nitinol, catheters, guidewires, tissue, medical device, biotech, design, prototype, simulation, spine, mechanical, composite, fatigue, nanotech, MEMs, forensic engineering, FEA, finite element analysis, reliability, nanobiotech, intellectual property, patents, consumer electronics, telecom, fiber optics, product development in China/Asia Pacific, solar/wind/alternative energy, electric vehicles, battery shock vibration, heavy-truck rollover, composites
Experience:
Parnell Engineering & Consulting (PEC), Principal & Founder
More information on PEC may be found at the corporate website: http://parnell-eng.com . PEC is a Mechanical Engineering consultancy located in the heart of Silicon Valley! PEC focuses on early stage medical device and biotechnology companies to enhance their product development. Extensive design analysis and testing involving medical devices such as stents, stent-grafts, guidewires, catheters, pacemakers, and others; nitinol (NiTi), stainless steel, cobalt-chromium materials. PEC also has broad consulting and litigation experience in many areas including intellectual property, consumer electronics, computer systems, MEMs, semiconductors, automotive, heavy-truck, chemical/process plant, energy, and other industries.
Finite element analysis (FEA) simulation is used extensively in our work including extensive experience with MSC.MARC, ANSYS, MSC.PATRAN, CFX, LS-DYNA3D, FLUENT, FIDAP, MSC.NASTRAN, MSC.DYTRAN and other leading codes.
Expert in Heavy-Truck Crashworthiness and Rollover. Roof and vehicle structural integrity. Test standards such as FMVSS-216 and SAE J-2422.
Expert Witness experience includes testimony in both trial and deposition, and filing of expert reports.
Contracted on 2 SBIR projects. Retained by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to serve as an expert consultant on prosecution of a case involving alternative energy technologies.
Stanford Composites Design Workshop, Composite Materials Expert - Stanford Composites Workshop
Stanford Composites Design Workshop - Stanford Aero/Astro Dept
http://CompositesDesign.stanford.edu
Intensive online Webinar on Composite Materials offered through Stanford University. The Workshop is led by Prof. Steve Tsai, a world-renowned authority on composite materials. I utilize my simulation expertise to address problems involving composite design, composite failure, delamination issues, and composite curing. Part of an Army Phase II SBIR and also pursuing new research opportunities.
Santa Clara University, Adjunct Faculty, Mechanical Engineering Department
Teaching a range of Mechanical Engineering classes including Finite Elements, Composites, Materials Science, Manufacturing Methods, and Graphical Communication in Design. Multi-Disciplinary activities across Mechanical & Electrical Eng. Materials Lab classes also with responsibility for lab and equipment. Faculty Advisor for >20 student SAE Formula Hybrid Team at SCU: Team Killajoule! ME Dept. has great lab facilities in Materials, Instrumentation, and Design, opening new avenues for my work in Composite Materials, Finite Element simulation (FEA) and high-performance computing. I co-wrote proposals for a DSC (for materials lab) and high-performance workstation (for controls lab). Also pursuing sustainable energy applications involving wind energy, composite materials, controls, and simulation. The SCU ME student enrollment grew dramatically in 2010 with a much larger than typical Freshman class.
IEEE-SCV Santa Clara Valley Section, Chair
IEEE-SCV is the largest IEEE Section in the world in terms of both active members (over 13,000 members) and chapters.
http://www.ieee.org/scv
2011 - Chair
2010 - Vice-Chair
This position requires me to be actively involved with all of the financial and strategic activities of the Section. It provides many opportunities for interaction with industry, academia, and other professionals across many organizations.
MSC Software, Senior Manager, User Experience
Nonlinear finite element simulation expert with extensive customer-facing interaction and sales coordination to develop winning solution strategies. Heading User Experience Group to develop GUI enhancements for usability based on testing, evaluation, and customer feedback. Manager for the MSC Wind Energy initiative; developed business case and product requirements. Product Manager for MSC Fatigue product for life assessment and prediction. MSC Software GUI tools are used for creating simulation models and viewing simulation results. This includes applications focused on finite element simulation and dynamic motion analysis. The applications currently include SimXpert, Patran, Mentat, and Adams-View. Use significant nonlinear FEA experience to assist customers and MSC Staff in new applications involving MSC.MARC and MD-Nastran.
IEEE-CNSV - Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley, Member Board of Directors, Past Chair
Diverse group of consultants with an immense array of skills and depth of experience. http://www.CaliforniaConsultants.org
IEEE-CNSV has grown rapidly to over 200 current members and is a dynamic consulting organization.
MSC Software, Lead Application Engineer
Customer facing Pre-Sales support for engineering simulation and enterprise process management software. Goal is to identify the customer needs and eliminate any technical barriers in the application. Frequently interact with customers in medical device/biotech, electronics, manufacturing, and related industries. MSC applications include Patran, Nastran, Marc, SimXpert, SimDesigner, SimManager, and others.
NanoBioConvergence, Board of Directors
Dynamic non-profit group focusing on the intersection of nanotechnology and biotechnology. Strong emphasis on the technologies with strong prospects for near-term commercialization. NanoBioConvergence (NBC) was founded by Dr.Laura Mazzola.
http://www.nanobioconvergence.org
CSIX Connect, Board of Directors
Excellent group for networking and learning new skills. Active in several group initiatives such as obtaining 501(c)3 non-profit status, education, biotechnology, etc.
See http://www.csix.org
The Enterprise Network (TEN), Advisory Board
Invited by CEO to join TEN as a member of the Advisory Board and to facilitate the organization of TEN University. Also see: www.tensv.org
TEN is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that focuses on Entrepreneurship, Education, and Technology.
Stanford University, Mentor, Coach
Stanford BioDesign Program
http://biodesign.stanford.edu
http://innovation.stanford.edu
Served as Mentor and Coach to graduate student medical device development team.
Projects included implantable defibrillators (AIDs), spinal/orthopaedic device, etc.
SVEBP-Silicon Valley Executive Business Program, Member
Excellent and very practical course sequence showing all facets of C-Level (CEO, CTO, CMO, COO, etc.) responsibilities in both startup and established companies. Fantastic speakers and course coordinated by Mitchell Levy. SVEBP offered through San Jose State University.
Rubicor Medical, Inc., Director, Research & Development
Director of R&D for a start-up medical device company working on developing breast diagnostic and therapeutic devices. First position in an early-stage medical device company where only the general concept has been defined and there are many ways to potentially solve the problem. Need for adequate funding and facilities became very apparent. Emphasis on development of IP, functional yet elegant solution with good physician acceptance. Worked with medical doctors to understand their specific needs and get feedback on prototype designs.
Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, Senior Managing Engineer
Consulting for a wide range of industries and issues. Client management and case development, project definition, budget management, staffing, and technical execution/guidance/project management for a diverse range of projects in the Mechanics & Materials Department. Focused on medical device sector for new business development. Consulted for clients on stents, grafts, other implantable devices, and associated patent/intellectual property issues. Worked actively in telecommunications, automotive, insurance and legal sectors. Expert witness, depo, trial testimony. Led SAE Phase II Heavy-Truck Crashworthiness Project to better understand rollover accidents.
Stanford University, Visiting Associate Professor
Taught graduate-level Mechanical Engineering courses in Theory of Plates and Theory of Shells in the Applied Mechanics Division of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. This appointment was part-time while working full-time as a consultant at Exponent. First experience in University-level teaching at my favorite place: Stanford University
SST Systems, Principal Engineer
Principal Engineer with early-stage Silicon Valley start-up company performing pioneering work in PC software for engineering applications. Developed software and provided customer training/support for first-generation computer-aided engineering (CAE)software suite (both Finite Element and Analytical). The modules performed piping analysis, shell/pressure vessel analysis, and structural analysis on PCs; significant applications with $5K-$7K license fees per module, reducing the cost of ownership by over 50% compared with the prior technology.
Provided sales and technical marketing support to CEO during product launch.
Managed software development; coordinated product specifications and enhancements.
Supported over 30 new customers and created standardized product documentation.
Bell Telephone Laboratories, Member of Technical Staff
R&D for telephone sets and components. Worked on development and testing of a variety of keypad technologies with the goal of reduced cost and improved reliability. Included touch-screen, conductive rubber, piezoelectric and other technologies. Achieved attractive design and patent applied for a PVDF piezoelectric film in keypad combined with a snap-through element. Bell Labs work on snap-through shell buckling led into my Stanford PhD thesis topic. Attended Stanford University in 1978-1979 for MSME degree as part of the Bell Labs Graduate Study Program (GSP).
General Motors, Plant Engineering Intern
I was one of 10 Georgia Tech students to receive full scholarships from the General Motors Corporation in 1976. In conjunction with the scholarship, I also worked in the Plant Engineering Dept. at the Lakewood Assembly Plant in the Summer of 1976 and 1977. I learned first-hand about the process of building modern trucks and passenger cars. I also learned about automated assembly equipment such as spot welders, transfer devices, conveyors, etc. I was responsible for supervising the night shift demolition work during the 1977 changeover and also for designing the positioning equipment for a rocker-panel spot-welding equipment.
More information on PEC may be found at the corporate website: http://parnell-eng.com . PEC is a Mechanical Engineering consultancy located in the heart of Silicon Valley! PEC focuses on early stage medical device and biotechnology companies to enhance their product development. Extensive design analysis and testing involving medical devices such as stents, stent-grafts, guidewires, catheters, pacemakers, and others; nitinol (NiTi), stainless steel, cobalt-chromium materials. PEC also has broad consulting and litigation experience in many areas including intellectual property, consumer electronics, computer systems, MEMs, semiconductors, automotive, heavy-truck, chemical/process plant, energy, and other industries.
Finite element analysis (FEA) simulation is used extensively in our work including extensive experience with MSC.MARC, ANSYS, MSC.PATRAN, CFX, LS-DYNA3D, FLUENT, FIDAP, MSC.NASTRAN, MSC.DYTRAN and other leading codes.
Expert in Heavy-Truck Crashworthiness and Rollover. Roof and vehicle structural integrity. Test standards such as FMVSS-216 and SAE J-2422.
Expert Witness experience includes testimony in both trial and deposition, and filing of expert reports.
Contracted on 2 SBIR projects. Retained by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to serve as an expert consultant on prosecution of a case involving alternative energy technologies.
Stanford Composites Design Workshop, Composite Materials Expert - Stanford Composites Workshop
Stanford Composites Design Workshop - Stanford Aero/Astro Dept
http://CompositesDesign.stanford.edu
Intensive online Webinar on Composite Materials offered through Stanford University. The Workshop is led by Prof. Steve Tsai, a world-renowned authority on composite materials. I utilize my simulation expertise to address problems involving composite design, composite failure, delamination issues, and composite curing. Part of an Army Phase II SBIR and also pursuing new research opportunities.
Santa Clara University, Adjunct Faculty, Mechanical Engineering Department
Teaching a range of Mechanical Engineering classes including Finite Elements, Composites, Materials Science, Manufacturing Methods, and Graphical Communication in Design. Multi-Disciplinary activities across Mechanical & Electrical Eng. Materials Lab classes also with responsibility for lab and equipment. Faculty Advisor for >20 student SAE Formula Hybrid Team at SCU: Team Killajoule! ME Dept. has great lab facilities in Materials, Instrumentation, and Design, opening new avenues for my work in Composite Materials, Finite Element simulation (FEA) and high-performance computing. I co-wrote proposals for a DSC (for materials lab) and high-performance workstation (for controls lab). Also pursuing sustainable energy applications involving wind energy, composite materials, controls, and simulation. The SCU ME student enrollment grew dramatically in 2010 with a much larger than typical Freshman class.
IEEE-SCV Santa Clara Valley Section, Chair
IEEE-SCV is the largest IEEE Section in the world in terms of both active members (over 13,000 members) and chapters.
http://www.ieee.org/scv
2011 - Chair
2010 - Vice-Chair
This position requires me to be actively involved with all of the financial and strategic activities of the Section. It provides many opportunities for interaction with industry, academia, and other professionals across many organizations.
MSC Software, Senior Manager, User Experience
Nonlinear finite element simulation expert with extensive customer-facing interaction and sales coordination to develop winning solution strategies. Heading User Experience Group to develop GUI enhancements for usability based on testing, evaluation, and customer feedback. Manager for the MSC Wind Energy initiative; developed business case and product requirements. Product Manager for MSC Fatigue product for life assessment and prediction. MSC Software GUI tools are used for creating simulation models and viewing simulation results. This includes applications focused on finite element simulation and dynamic motion analysis. The applications currently include SimXpert, Patran, Mentat, and Adams-View. Use significant nonlinear FEA experience to assist customers and MSC Staff in new applications involving MSC.MARC and MD-Nastran.
IEEE-CNSV - Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley, Member Board of Directors, Past Chair
Diverse group of consultants with an immense array of skills and depth of experience. http://www.CaliforniaConsultants.org
IEEE-CNSV has grown rapidly to over 200 current members and is a dynamic consulting organization.
MSC Software, Lead Application Engineer
Customer facing Pre-Sales support for engineering simulation and enterprise process management software. Goal is to identify the customer needs and eliminate any technical barriers in the application. Frequently interact with customers in medical device/biotech, electronics, manufacturing, and related industries. MSC applications include Patran, Nastran, Marc, SimXpert, SimDesigner, SimManager, and others.
NanoBioConvergence, Board of Directors
Dynamic non-profit group focusing on the intersection of nanotechnology and biotechnology. Strong emphasis on the technologies with strong prospects for near-term commercialization. NanoBioConvergence (NBC) was founded by Dr.Laura Mazzola.
http://www.nanobioconvergence.org
CSIX Connect, Board of Directors
Excellent group for networking and learning new skills. Active in several group initiatives such as obtaining 501(c)3 non-profit status, education, biotechnology, etc.
See http://www.csix.org
The Enterprise Network (TEN), Advisory Board
Invited by CEO to join TEN as a member of the Advisory Board and to facilitate the organization of TEN University. Also see: www.tensv.org
TEN is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that focuses on Entrepreneurship, Education, and Technology.
Stanford University, Mentor, Coach
Stanford BioDesign Program
http://biodesign.stanford.edu
http://innovation.stanford.edu
Served as Mentor and Coach to graduate student medical device development team.
Projects included implantable defibrillators (AIDs), spinal/orthopaedic device, etc.
SVEBP-Silicon Valley Executive Business Program, Member
Excellent and very practical course sequence showing all facets of C-Level (CEO, CTO, CMO, COO, etc.) responsibilities in both startup and established companies. Fantastic speakers and course coordinated by Mitchell Levy. SVEBP offered through San Jose State University.
Rubicor Medical, Inc., Director, Research & Development
Director of R&D for a start-up medical device company working on developing breast diagnostic and therapeutic devices. First position in an early-stage medical device company where only the general concept has been defined and there are many ways to potentially solve the problem. Need for adequate funding and facilities became very apparent. Emphasis on development of IP, functional yet elegant solution with good physician acceptance. Worked with medical doctors to understand their specific needs and get feedback on prototype designs.
Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, Senior Managing Engineer
Consulting for a wide range of industries and issues. Client management and case development, project definition, budget management, staffing, and technical execution/guidance/project management for a diverse range of projects in the Mechanics & Materials Department. Focused on medical device sector for new business development. Consulted for clients on stents, grafts, other implantable devices, and associated patent/intellectual property issues. Worked actively in telecommunications, automotive, insurance and legal sectors. Expert witness, depo, trial testimony. Led SAE Phase II Heavy-Truck Crashworthiness Project to better understand rollover accidents.
Stanford University, Visiting Associate Professor
Taught graduate-level Mechanical Engineering courses in Theory of Plates and Theory of Shells in the Applied Mechanics Division of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. This appointment was part-time while working full-time as a consultant at Exponent. First experience in University-level teaching at my favorite place: Stanford University
SST Systems, Principal Engineer
Principal Engineer with early-stage Silicon Valley start-up company performing pioneering work in PC software for engineering applications. Developed software and provided customer training/support for first-generation computer-aided engineering (CAE)software suite (both Finite Element and Analytical). The modules performed piping analysis, shell/pressure vessel analysis, and structural analysis on PCs; significant applications with $5K-$7K license fees per module, reducing the cost of ownership by over 50% compared with the prior technology.
Provided sales and technical marketing support to CEO during product launch.
Managed software development; coordinated product specifications and enhancements.
Supported over 30 new customers and created standardized product documentation.
Bell Telephone Laboratories, Member of Technical Staff
R&D for telephone sets and components. Worked on development and testing of a variety of keypad technologies with the goal of reduced cost and improved reliability. Included touch-screen, conductive rubber, piezoelectric and other technologies. Achieved attractive design and patent applied for a PVDF piezoelectric film in keypad combined with a snap-through element. Bell Labs work on snap-through shell buckling led into my Stanford PhD thesis topic. Attended Stanford University in 1978-1979 for MSME degree as part of the Bell Labs Graduate Study Program (GSP).
General Motors, Plant Engineering Intern
I was one of 10 Georgia Tech students to receive full scholarships from the General Motors Corporation in 1976. In conjunction with the scholarship, I also worked in the Plant Engineering Dept. at the Lakewood Assembly Plant in the Summer of 1976 and 1977. I learned first-hand about the process of building modern trucks and passenger cars. I also learned about automated assembly equipment such as spot welders, transfer devices, conveyors, etc. I was responsible for supervising the night shift demolition work during the 1977 changeover and also for designing the positioning equipment for a rocker-panel spot-welding equipment.
Years in Practice: 30
Number of Times Deposed/Testified in Last 4 Yrs: 5