I am Michael Kruger, a postdoctoral researcher currently working in the Dryden low speed wind tunnel at the University of Southern California (USC).
I graduated with my PhD at USC in December 2021, where my research focused on the computational modeling of aircraft systems that use electrical propulsion, under the guidance of Professor Alejandra Uranga.
Where my PhD work was computational in nature, my current work is experimental, allowing me to be hands-on with various tasks, from fabricating models to setting up hardware-software interfaces and data acquisition pipelines.
Spam-resistant email (hopefully): michaelkrugerus (at) the google one
LinkedIn: My Profile
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in engineering, 2016-2022
Major: Aerospace Engineering @ University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Master of Science in Engineering, 2016-2017
Major: Aerospace Engineering @ University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Master of Science in Engineering, 2015-2017
Major: Mechanical Engineering @ University of Pretoria, South Africa
Bachelor of Science in Engineering, 2009-2012
Major: Mechanical Engineering @ University of Pretoria, South Africa
Work Experience
Postdoctoral Researcher, Jan 2022-Present
University of Southern California; Leading various test campaigns in the Dryden wind tunnel.
Assistant Analyst, July-Oct 2020
Plane View Partners; Assisting analyst partner in airline consulting project.
Junior Lecturer, Jan-June 2016
University of Pretoria; Teaching Graphical Communication (technical drawing) and Fluid Dynamics.
Factory Manager, Jan-Dec 2013
Unique Timber Plastics (UTP); Factory manager at Unique Timber Plastics (UTP), and outdoor furniture manufacturer. My responsibility included managing around 20 workers as well as the general upkeep and maintenance of the factory.
Internships
Completed various internships as undergraduate students between 2010 and 2012
Software Skills
Programming languages
Proficient: Python, Matlab.
Some experience: Java, HTML, Mathematica
Computer programs
MS Office suite, Latex, Git, SUAVE, OpenVSP, IPE.
I am proficient in various aspects of the Linux ecosystem, including terminal usage, shell scripting, system administration, cron jobs, web servers etc. For example, this website is written in plain html and is self-hosted.
CAD programs
Proficient: OnShape, Siemens NX.
Some experience: SolidWorks, FreeCAD, Fusion360.
Hardware-software interfacing and data acquisition
MATLAB for data acquisition
NI (National Instruments)
LabJack
Industrial automation
Ladder logic (for PLC programming).
Modbus
Language Proficiency
I am fluent in English and am a native Afrikaans speaker.
Academic Publications
M. Kruger and A. Uranga, "The Feasibility of Electric Propulsion for Commuter Aircraft", 2020 AIAA Scitech Forum and Exposition, Orlando, FL, Jan 6-10. 2020. doi: 10.2514/6.2020-1499.
M. Kruger, S. Byahut, A. Uranga, J. Gonzalez, D.K. Hall, and A. Dowdle, "Electrified Aircraft Trade-Space Exploration", 2018 AIAA Aviation, Atlanta, GA, June 25-29. 2018. doi: 10.2514/6.2018-4227.
M. Kruger, R.J. Huyssen, L. Smith and J.P. Meyer, "Application of a low fineness ratio fuselage to an airliner configuration", 2016 AIAA Scitech Forum and Exposition, San Diego, CA, Jan 4-8. 2016. doi: 10.2514/6.2016-1282.
Preprints to some publications available for download here.
LEAN
The basic ideas behind lean manufacturing were created at Toyota and is the 'magic sauce' behind Toyota and much of Japan's success in manufacturing. The ideas were formalize in Taiichi Ohno's book Toyota Production System.
Altough originally aimed at the manufacturing industry, the basic ideas of 'lean' are applicable to most facets of life, and I try to incorporate them into a lot of what I do. For a lean introduction to lean, read 2 Second Lean by Paul Akers.