Where are they now? – Amine Taoudi, NXP
Today, We’re talking to Amine Taoudi: a Vehicle Controls and Networking Solutions Applications Engineer at NXP Semiconductors. As a student at Mississippi State University, Amine participated in a past Advanced Technology Vehicle Competition (AVTC) called the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge as his teams propulsion controls and modeling lead. During this time Amine won the MathWorks Model-Based Design award 2 years in a row!
What Did You Learn in the competition?
Why did you choose to get involved the competiton?
I recognized that the AVTC program is a unique experience to gain hands-on experience in designing and developing electrified vehicle architectures. The scope of the EcoCAR mobility challenge allowed me to learn more about vehicle connectivity and automation technology through workshops held by industry experts, and it provided me with a platfrom to research how these technologies can be used to improve the energy efficiency of electrified powertrains. Additionally, the mentorship programs and multiple events sponsored by the competition sponsors such as MathWorks allowed me to build my networks and get exposure to the key automotive players in North America.
What was your role on the team?
I served as my team’s Propulsion Controls and Modeling lead.
How did you use MATLAB/ Simulink in the competition and/or academic work?
The main focus on the Propulsion Modeling and Controls team that I led is todevelop high fidelity modelsof our competition vehicle and to design, test, and validate propulsion controls software. So, MATLAB/Simulink provided my team with the perfect ecosystem to successfully design and integrate a safe and robust hybrid supervisory controller for our electrified vehicle. My team used products such as theRequirements Toolbox and Simulink Test to author and organize our software requirements and track our test coverage and verification and validation. We also relied on optimization toolboxes to conduct design of experiments for both our high fidelity models and to tune our controllers. Ultimately, we relied on Simulink’s rapid prototyping capabilities to successfully to fast track our software development process which led to us winning the MathWorks sponsored award for best model based design approach two years in a row.
How Did the Competition Help You Find a Job?
It was thanks to the competition events that I learned about my current job and it was thanks to the experience I gained through working on the EcoCAR project that I gained the skills necessary to be considered for the position.
Do you think the skills you gained using these tools has helped you in your professional career? If so, how?
Absolutely, I am currently working on large multidisciplinary projects with direct impact on automotive customers and I find myself using the exact same tools and techniques I learned during the competition. A prime example is the rapid prototyping and the embedded code generation tools provided by MathWorks that I use daily for Software in the loop and processor in the loop simulations.
Did your hands-on experience of in the competiton help to prepare you for your first role in industry?
Without a doubt. It was thanks to the competition events that I learned about my current job and it was thanks to the experience I gained through working on the EcoCAR project that I gained the skills necessary to be considered for the position.
What Are You Working On Today?
In your current role at NXP Semiconductors do you use MATLAB/Simulink?
As a vehicle controls and networking solutions applications engineer, I work on enabling NXP’s customers with new solutions for our automotive micro-controllers and micro-processors. A significant amount of the solutions and applications that I work on use model based design. As such, MATLAB/Simulink plays an integral part of my day to day activities.
What big project you are working on right now?
Currently I am working on creating a comprehensive solution for Model Predictive Control (MPC) that is optimized for our automotive microcontrollers. This solution will be integrated into our NXP Model Based Design Toolbox and will provide our customers with a path to design their MPC applications using MATLAB/Simulink and seamlessly deploy it, with guaranteed maximized computational efficiency, on our NXP hardware.
Key Takeaways
What advice would you give young engineers seeking employment post-grad?
For STEM students, you stand to gain a lot by getting involved in technical competitions like EcoCAR. They provide the perfect environment to gain technical and soft skills that are relevant to the industry. It is also important to build a good network, seek mentorship programs, and take advantage of any co-op or internship opportunities.
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