Hey, I’m Austin! I’m an RF engineer interested in all things wireless, high-speed, and antenna related. Currently I work at Tesla in Palo Alto where I have been since graduating from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in electrical engineering.
If you have any questions about anything on this site or just want to reach out, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via LinkedIn or email!
Education
Santa Clara University
B.S. Electrical Engineering | Sept 2017- Dec 2021
Minor in Mathematics
- Tau Beta Pi
- Magna Cum Laude
Professional Experience
Tesla, Inc
RF Engineer | Palo Alto, CA | Jan 2022 - Present
- Hardware design, validation, debug, and integration for telematics control unit, passive entry, and autopilot GNSS system across all Tesla vehicles and Optimus humanoid robot.
Tesla, Inc
RF Engineering Intern | Palo Alto, CA | Jan 2021 - Sept 2021
- Define RF system architecture and RX performance requirements for custom GNSS active antenna and Autopilot4 (AP4) receiver module integrated in all next-gen Tesla vehicles.
- Perform RF bring-up, tuning, performance verification, and product lifecycle maintenance for Tesla GNSS hardware. Communicate RF performance progress to senior and VP level executives. Guide on PCB layout based on insights from simulation & measurement.
- UWB antenna design, testing, & layout integration for Model S/3/Y endpoints and Cybertruck keyfob.
- NFC coil design for B-pillar door reader, wireless charger, & keyfobs for programs involvd in Model S/X refresh, Model Y, and Cybertruck.
- Board level 3D electromagnetic simulations of antenna performance and mutual coupling for BLE/WiFi systems on telematics control unit (TCU).
Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions
RF Engineering Intern | San Jose, CA | June 2020- Oct 2020
- Designed, simulated, performed schematic capture/BOM creation, and tested various RF frequency conversion modules.
- Prototype & manufacture calibration/test modules for characterizing Ku-band GaAs pHEMT and GaN low noise amplifier MMIC die’s.
- Created receiver chain statistical/yield analysis model in ADS/MATLAB to characterize gain, P1dB, noise figure, and inter-modulation distortion requirements before manufacture of wide-band receiver modules.
- Designed and optimized various Ka-band edge-coupled bandpass filters in HFSS. Integrated into custom RF subsystem modules.
- Designed, built, and validated power supply module for RF bias circuits - ensuring power supply stability and low noise over temperature and under various load conditions.
Research Experience
Santa Clara University, Applied Electromagnetics Lab
Undergraduate Researcher | Santa Clara, CA | Dec 2019 - Aug 2021
- Helped formulate fundamental limits on optical performance parameters of nanophotonic structures with specific material and geometry constraints. Co-author Trade-offs in absorption and scattering by nanophotonic structures.
- Developed MATLAB program for analyzing trade-offs between scattering/absorption cross-sections using convex optimization to find optimal surface current distributions derived from Method of Moments simulations.
- Research funded by Kuehler Undergraduate Research Award.
Santa Clara University, Applied Mathematics Department
Undergraduate Researcher | Santa Clara, CA | Mar 2020 - Oct 2021
- Developed MATLAB program to model and compute unknown material characteristics based on inverse scattering theory.
- Help formulate novel tensor-based solution to non-linear inverse scattering potential recovery utilizing properties of the Fourier transform to enhance computation speed.
- Research funded by REAL Undergraduate Research Grant.
Skills
- Programming Languages
- MATLAB, Python, C, SCPI, Bash
- Equipment
- Vector Network Analyzer, Spectrum Analyzer, CMW500, CMP200, Spirent GSS7000 GNSS Simulator, Micropross Contactless NFC Test Station, Vector Signal Generator, Noise Figure Analyzer, Arbitrary Waveform Generator, Frequency Response Analyzer, Oscilloscope, Anechoic Chamber
- Design Software
- Keysight ADS, Ansys HFSS, CST Simulation Suite, Optenni Lab, LTSpice, Altium, Cadence Allegro, KiCad
Publications
Kurt Schab, Austin Rothschild, Kristi Nguyen, Miloslav Capek, Lukas Jelinek, and Mats Gustafsson, “Trade-offs in absorption and scattering by nanophotonic structures,” Opt. Express 28, 36584-36599 (2020)
Conference Talks
EuCAP 2021
Kurt Schab, Austin Rothschild, Miloslav Capek, Lukas Jelinek, and Mats Gustafsson, “Optimal absorption and scattering in embedded design problems,” European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, Düsseldorf, Germany, Mar. 2021.