Tim is available for hire
Hire TimTim Erbes
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Developer
Des Moines, IA, United States
Toptal member since December 8, 2023
Bio
Tim is a senior software developer with 15 years of experience in automation, navigation, simulation, and signal processing technologies. He possesses experience in most programming languages but focuses on high-performance applications in embedded devices, high-performance computers, and GPU clusters. Tim is an expert in all stages of the product development lifecycle and has led the design and development of several products for the commercial market.
Portfolio
Safran Federal Systems
NVIDIA CUDA, Python, Digital Signal Processing, C++, Refactoring, GitLab, Linux...
Orolia Defense & Security
NVIDIA CUDA, Python, C++, MATLAB, Refactoring, GitLab, Linux, Simulations
Talen-X
Python 3, C++, C#, Java, Refactoring, GitLab, Linux, NVIDIA CUDA, Simulations
Experience
Availability
Full-time
Preferred Environment
Windows, Linux, Python, Git, C#, C++, Java, JavaScript, NVIDIA CUDA
The most amazing...
...experience of my career has been creating two startups as the technical founder, which resulted in both companies being successfully acquired in 2019.
Work Experience
Technical Director and Senior Software Engineer
2022 - PRESENT
Safran Federal Systems
- Designed, developed, and maintained an automated testing infrastructure in Python for regression monitoring and performance validation of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal and vehicle simulator system.
- Championed test-driven development across a team of radio frequency (RF), data science, systems, and test engineers to build tools that automatically measure system performance and generate validation reports.
- Debugged GPU stream concurrency and CUDA kernel performance to increase throughput by 250% in a real-time Docker-deployed software-defined simulator engine.
- Led effort to port the GPU-based simulation engine to the NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform.
Technologies: NVIDIA CUDA, Python, Digital Signal Processing, C++, Refactoring, GitLab, Linux, Simulations
Director of Engineering and Senior Software Engineer
2019 - 2022
Orolia Defense & Security
- Commercialized wavefront simulation capabilities, reducing the cost of controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA) testing to customers by 80%.
- Designed methods to monitor and control a multi-server GPU cluster, improving reliability and uptime.
- Reduced latency on a multi-GPU system by 97% by developing performance tools built into the application.
- Validated inertial measurement unit (IMU) physics model for simulated sensor output.
- Created architecture to simulate the sensor hardware interface, such as IMU, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and vision navigation.
Technologies: NVIDIA CUDA, Python, C++, MATLAB, Refactoring, GitLab, Linux, Simulations
Co-founder and Senior Software Engineer
2016 - 2019
Talen-X
- Designed BroadSim, a GNSS RF simulator leveraging CUDA for digital signal processing (DSP).
- Created BroadSim Anechoic, a multi-output RF simulator for GNSS testing in anechoic chambers.
- Developed methods to add sensor simulation plugins to BroadSim to test sensor fusion robotics systems.
Technologies: Python 3, C++, C#, Java, Refactoring, GitLab, Linux, NVIDIA CUDA, Simulations
Co-founder and Senior Software Engineer
2014 - 2016
PreTalen
- Designed and implemented an automated testing tool for GNSS analysis, written in C# and SQL.
- Created a real-time GNSS data collection and visualization tool in C# and Python.
- Designed a GNSS performance data analysis, data visualization, and statistics tool.
Technologies: C#, C#.NET, Python, Automation, Refactoring, GitLab, Linux, NVIDIA CUDA
Automated Test Engineer
2012 - 2014
Ag Leader Technology
- Pioneered test-driven development (TDD) for self-driving vehicles controller and sensor software.
- Developed a method to automate control of software systems running on an embedded Linux device.
- Created scalable test infrastructure using Linux, Python, RabbitMQ, VirtualBox, Squish, and Jenkins.
- Designed continuous integration (CI) testing pipelines, reducing bugs committed to the master by 90%.
Technologies: C++, Selenium, Python, Jenkins, RabbitMQ, Celery, VirtualBox, Perforce, Refactoring, Linux, Simulink
Systems Engineer
2008 - 2012
Rockwell Collins
- Revamped the build environment to improve the embedded C app's compile time from 8 hours to 20 minutes.
- Created a continuous integration build server with automated emails to developers that broke the build.
- Investigated, determined the root cause, and resolved difficult bugs when teams were stuck.
- Created an automated testing framework to deploy the build to the embedded hardware target and perform validation tests after every commit, reducing release acceptance time from four weeks to one day.
Technologies: 3D Math, Simulink, MATLAB, Python, Navigation, Simulations
Experience
BroadSim Wavefront Software-defined CRPA Test System
https://www.safranfederalsystems.com/broadsim-wavefrontProtecting GNSS systems from jamming and spoofing is more critical now than ever before. I contributed to designing BroadSim Wavefront to enable easier and more affordable CRPA receiver testing, leveraging proven software-defined architecture.
Automated Testing Product for GPS Devices
https://insidegnss.com/u-s-army-adopts-pretalen-panacea-for-gps-receiver-testing/An Ohio-based small business, PreTalen, partnered with the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop PANACEA, a software tool. This tool can automatically test more than 30 receivers at the same time, simultaneously controlling the GPS signal simulator and multiple interference sources and logging the position and timing outputs from all of the receivers.
Education
2004 - 2008
Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering
Iowa State University - Ames, IA, USA
Certifications
SEPTEMBER 2023 - PRESENT
Methods for Generating an Encrypted Signal with a Cryptographic Interface Card (GCIC)
United States Patent and Trademark Office
JUNE 2022 - PRESENT
Portable Anechoic Chamber
United States Patent and Trademark Office
MAY 2019 - PRESENT
Penalty-based Environment Monitoring
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Skills
Tools
Git, MATLAB, Java Card, Jenkins, RabbitMQ, Celery, VirtualBox, GitLab, Perforce
Languages
Python, C#, Python 3, C#.NET, Simulink, C++, Java, JavaScript, Fortran, SQL
Paradigms
Automation, Refactoring
Platforms
Linux, NVIDIA CUDA, Windows, Arduino
Frameworks
Flight, Selenium
Industry Expertise
Rocket Science
Other
3D Math, Encryption, Simulations, GNSS, Controls, Platforms, 3D Modeling, Digital Signal Processing, GPS, RF Design, Navigation
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