Control Systems Engineering Expert Witnesses: 19

William R. Acorn is founder of Acorn Consulting Services, LLC, an engineering firm. As a consulting mechanical engineer, Bill provides project analysis, forensic reconstructions and litigation support services relating to the design, delivery, and functioning of high-tech manufacturing facilities, semiconductor fabrication facilities, institutional laboratories, data centers, health care facilities and a variety of commercial buildings. He is a recognized expert in the evaluation of deficiencies in HVAC systems, cleanrooms, piping systems, refrigeration systems, construction defects, building and fire code compliance, and patent and trade secret disputes. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants. Bill has more than 40 years of experience as a professional engineer and is a recognized expert in assessing, evaluating, remediating and providing testimony on complex project design, construction and operational matters. His consulting expertise has been influential in shaping approaches to code compliance and life safety in semiconductor and similar advanced technology facilities.

Certifications and Designations:

• Registered as a Professional Mechanical Engineer in the States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.
• Registered with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying NCEES (Certificate No. 6999)
• Fellow in the HVAC industry leading organization ASHRAE
• Visiting lecturer at the Arizona State University Del E. Webb School of Construction in Tempe, AZ
• Advisor to CREATE, ACE – Alliance for Construction Excellence and the IAB – Industry Advisory Board, all affiliated with ASU

Building Systems Analysis:

HVAC and Refrigeration Process and Power Piping Plumbing Systems Standard of Care in Design and Construction

Chemical Exposures in the Workplace Cleanroom Design and Performance Codes and Standards Patent and Trade Secret Disputes

Litigation Support: Bill’s pragmatic approach to both forensic and litigation consulting as well as project consulting is based on more than 40 years of real-world experience as a design professional, mentor and forensic analyst, as well as many years as an instructor in professional and academic settings. Represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of jurisdictions throughout the US and Asia. Bill’s ability to explain complex issues to non-technical audiences, including juries, mediators and judges, is a key to successfully solving your litigation challenges.

• Forensic Analysis
• Strategic Litigation Consulting
• Trial Demonstratives
• Expert Testimony

Acorn Consulting Services

Consulting Services: Services range from peer review to conceptual design to development of strategies and programs for expedited project delivery.

Bill frequently acts as an owner’s agent and mentor, functioning as an extension of the owner’s project team. On other projects, Bill serves as a subject matter expert assisting project delivery firms in their development of viable solutions and review of construction documents.

As a project consultant, Bill assures the project gets off to the right start and provides his expertise through completion and operation to maximize return on investment.

Consulting Expertise Includes:

• Project Design and Management Consulting
• Forensic Analysis and Litigation Consulting
• Mentoring & Advanced Education

Michael Nranian, JD, MBA, MS has over 30 years experience focusing in Product Development, Intellectual Property, Patent Litigation, Legal and Technical Compliance, and Product Liability Litigation. He is a licensed attorney in Michigan, Texas, & the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Nranian is a Six Sigma Black Belt, Professional Engineer, & Certified Project Management Professional. He has an in-depth background and education in Law, IP, Electrical, Chemical & Computer Engineering, & Business. He has testified extensively as an expert witness in depositions, hearings, and trials in state & federal courts.

Mr. Nranian conducts Product and Technology Analysis, Patentability & Prior Art Research,and provides Technology & Litigation Support for Intellectual Property. His litigation background includes patent infringement / non-infringement under literal infringement and the doctrine of equivalents, patent validity / invalidity, prior art, & file-wrapper estoppel, for both ITC and Federal cases, including Inter Partes reviews. He conducts analysis of patents and products, prepares claim charts, & expert witness reports. This includes testimony and document preparation for cases before state, and federal court jurisdictions, and the International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Mr. Nranian is thoroughly familiar with all 101, 102, 103, 112, and other enablement and prior art arguments. His experience includes Technology Standards Boards and Licensing Authorities, Antitrust / DOJ, Technology Development and Transfer, Patents, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, and Copyrights, Licensing, Unfair Competition/Trade, False/Deceptive Advertising, & Lanham Act Actions, & Class Actions.

His Product Liability Expert Witness litigation background includes all types of Safety Systems, Electrical Systems, Fires, Accident Reconstruction, and Evaluation of Alternative Designs for Automotive, Medical and other industries. He has over 29 years of experience in Automotive Safety Systems, Sensors, Seatbelts, Airbags / Curtains, Seats, Diagnostic Systems, Crash Recorders, Crash Pulse Analysis, System Diagnostic, Fault Codes, Structure (including roof-crush and door) and front, side & roll-over systems (including sensing and algorithm development) for domestic and international corporations. He is thoroughly familiar with all regulatory (including FMVSS), and corporate due-care requirements, & preemption arguments, occupant kinematics, & injury causation.

Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell is a Chartered Engineer who practices as an Arbitrator, Adjudicator and Expert for Determination. Geoffrey is the former Senior Partner of Consulting Mechanical and Electrical Engineers BHA Cromwell House.

A one time Chairman of the Expert Witness Society, Geoffrey Hartwell has experience giving evidence in court (in both civil and criminal matters) and in International Arbitration. He sometimes is retained as a Single Joint Expert or as a Tribunal Expert. His services are offered to both Plaintiff and Defense. Even when retained on behalf of a Client he, like all Experts, has an overriding responsibility to the Court or Tribunal.

After his early career in aerospace and nuclear energy, Geoffrey entered private practice in association with the late Leslie Heap and Gerald Lewis of Heap and Digby, Consulting Engineers, in 1969. While with them he designed water and sewage equipment and also the bascule moving machinery for the Lowestoft Bridge, in Suffolk. He practiced also as Beresford Hartwell and Associates and, in 1971 established a separate office in Wallington, South London.

In parallel with his design career, Geoffrey was first appointed as arbitrator in 1972 and his first foreign arbitration, an ICC appointment in Switzerland, took place later that year. He studied Law to Intermediate level and then transferred to the examinations of the Institute of Arbitrators (now Chartered) of which he became Chairman in 1996-1997 and for whom he taught in various countries on several courses, including the prestigious Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration.

Technical Expertise:

Electrical Engineering and Design Mechanical Engineering and Design Instrumentation Automation and Computer Control Systems Maritime and Infrastructure Engineering Process Engineering Solid Waste Handling

Communications Manufacturing Computer Cartography Moving Bridges and Lock Gates Construction Project Management Nuclear Energy Water and Waste Water Treatment

Arbitration: Geoffrey Hartwell also acts as an arbitrator and adjudicator, as an expert mediator and conciliator, as an expert investigator and assessor for arbitral tribunals, and also as a Special Referee in the High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man. His services have been required in the UK and internationally.

Dispute Boards: Geoffrey Hartwell has experience both as Member and as Chairman of Dispute Boards?. He has been a member of Dispute Boards, retained from the beginning of a project or, alternatively, appointed on an ad hoc basis when a problem arises, Dispute Adjudication Boards to determine a binding decision, and on Dispute Review Boards to make decisions that are advisory but not binding.

Adjudication: Similar to arbitration, Mr. Hartwell adjudicates domestic and international disputes which are only temporarily binding unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties.

View Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell's Consulting Profile.

Thomas H. Burtness, PE, is an Electrical Engineer specializing in both Electrical and Building Construction - equipment selection, specification, and installation (actually “working with the tools”), as well as cost control techniques.

Background - Mr. Burtness has 40+ years of experience in the design, specification, construction contract administration, installation, startup, and troubleshooting of electrical power, on-site generation, distribution, control, and instrumentation systems and equipment for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal occupancies. His experience also includes water, wastewater, and stormwater treatment plants, and military facilities.

Additional expertise includes Illumination Engineering for street, roadway, and area lighting including photometric footcandle requirements, calculations, field verification, equipment specifications, installation, and analysis of failure, glare, overlighting and underlighting.

Litigation Support - Since, 1981, Mr. Burtness has been providing forensic electrical engineering services to insurance companies and attorneys including accident and failure investigations, determination of cause and origin, litigation support, expert opinions, reports, and testimony. His services are available nationwide, with PE registration by comity available in most states.

Cases Involve:

Industrial Accidents Electrocution Personal Injury Fire Equipment and Machinery Failure

Failure of Safety Circuitry Grounding Lightning Damage and Fire Construction Defects / Contract Claims Design and Specification Disputes

View Thomas Burtness' Consulting Profile.

James Caylor, PE, is an independent consulting Mechanical Engineer specializing in NH₃ and CO₂ Refrigeration Systems used in process and cold storage applications. Clients have included Leprino  Foods, Safeway, Dreyer’s, Tyson, ConAgra, Unilever, Nestlé, Imperial Irrigation District, Lineage Logistics, and Grupo Kuo (Kekén).

Background Information - Mr. Caylor's first 15 years in the refrigeration business were spent as a service and startup technician, including a UA steamfitter apprenticeship, 11 years in the industrial field and the final 8 years self-employed as Caylor Refrigeration. He then returned to college and graduated from Arizona State University in 2000 with a BSME. 

Mr. Caylor worked as a project engineer for two design/build contractors and became a PE before moving to Tyson Foods’ corporate design group in 2005. He joined Jacobs Engineering’s Food and Beverage Group in Fort Worth in 2007, finished in 2013 as Deputy Director in charge of all refrigeration projects and opened his own consulting firm in 2014.

Litigation Support - Mr. Caylor has been retained in seven expert witness cases, including one completed and two more scheduled  depositions. Two of these are currently preparing for trial and one for arbitration. Disputes tend to fall into one of three categories:  

Component Function - System Design / Installation/ Operation - Regulatory Compliance

Mr. Caylor has also consulted for lawyers representing a food processing firm facing EPA citations at multiple plants. His forensic analysis services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include site review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

System Design and Design Review (owner’s agent) Mechanical Code Review (IIAR, IFC/IMC, ASME B31.5, ASHRAE Std 15) Operational analysis Industrial Process Refrigeration Cold Storage

Ammonia Carbon Dioxide Piping Insulation OSHA / EPA

View James Caylor's Consulting Profile.

Michael A. Pollock, PE, USPTO, is a Mechanical Engineer responsible for the design and engineering of commercial, industrial, manufacturing, institutional, and residential venues, as well as efforts relating to services and products used in and around these facilities. Mr. Pollock's full CV can be viewed at cogentexpert.com.

Business and industries include electronics, safety and construction, building materials, polymers and plastics, instrumentation manufacturing, petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, colleges, athletic facilities, textiles, coatings and resins, food storage, biosciences, supermarkets, inks & pigments, automotive, facility and real estate operations, agricultural, transportation, nuclear, healthcare, nutrition, retail, distributors, pulp and paper, packaging, utilities, apparel, and R&D centers.

Litigation Support - Mr. Pollock is a subject matter expert in Commercial and Industrial Engineering Applications and Projects, as well as engineering standards and applicable codes (ASHRAE, ASME, NIST, NFPA, NBIC, ASTM, SAE, LEED, ASCE, GMP, ISA, BOCA, and EPA Regulations.) He has engaged with local, state, and governmental officials and agencies regarding numerous matters over his commensurate years of experience.

Areas of Expertise:

Investment Engineering Economics Mechanical Engineering Standard of Care Architectural Standard of Care Construction Delay Construction Defect Construction Schedule Analysis Accident Analysis Metallurgical Failure Rotating Equipment Electrical Failure Chemical Failure Processes Instrumentation and Controls

Chillers Coatings Refrigeration Thermodynamics Water Treatment Steam Systems and Boilers   Power and Utilities Energy Conservation Environmental Impact Safety HVAC Project Management Product Development

Registrations

• Professional Engineer: PA (PE075410)
• American Bar Association (ABA) – Construction Forum
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act Certification – Universal (includes Chillers, HVAC & Refrigeration)
• United States Patent & Trademark Office Registered (USPTO)                              

Forensic Consulting Experience

Warehouse Distribution Facility – Maryland - Evaluated a $10M (million) claim relating to purported construction defect claims by the 600,000 sq. ft. facility owner against the facility construction contractor and an original equipment manufacturer relating to installed infrastructure in the facility. Developed an expert opinion and expert report regarding the analysis of the purported defects and a proposed repair solution to correct said defects. 

 Psychiatric Hospital Facility – North Carolina – Evaluated a $28M (million) construction claim by the general contractor against a hospital facility concerning a $100M facility construction project.  Developed an expert opinion and report for general construction issues, constructability, design revisions, and corresponding delay analysis for mechanical, HVAC, electrical, smoke and fire, structural, security and building automation systems. 

Forensics Consulting Work-in-Progress 

• 2022 – International Trade Commission (ITC) Matter – Resin Manufacturing Facility Construction Delay / Completeness Analysis
• 2022 – Mechanical Systems Coatings Matter Analysis
• 2021 – Industrial Manufacturing Facility Standard of Care Matter, Construction Defect, Construction Delay     
• 2021 – Electrical Distribution System Construction Defect Matter, Standard of Care
• 2021 – Hotel Facility HVAC Materials of Construction Related Defect Matter

Oded Gottesman, PhD, CTO of Compandent Inc., technology IP expert witness in such areas as telecommunications, cellular phone, and signal processing, provides technology expert witness services, prior art search, and consulting for Technology Patent Infringement, Patent Invalidity, Trade Secret Disputes, source code review, hardware analysis, and related matters. Dr. Gottesman has more than 17 years of experience as an expert witness, deposed 14 times, testified 6 times in Jury trial and 2 times in ITC trial, worked on IPR and Ex Parte Reexamination petitions, and wrote numerous reports. Among his areas of expertise are:

DSP Digital Signal Processing Telecommunications Cellular Networks (4G LTE, 3GPP, GSM) Packetized Networks VoIP Streaming audio, streaming video Real-time Systems Cellular Timing and Synchronization Location and Position Systems (UTDOA, GPS, etc.) Error Control Coding

Speech Coding, voice compression, vocoder, Audio Compression, and Video Compression, codec (MPEG, AAC, AMR) Signal Compression and Signal Enhancement Computer Software, and Algorithms Computer Hardware Embedded Systems Smartphones, Portable Devices Client-server Web Applications Mobile Applications

Litigation Support - Dr. Gottesman has more than 20 years of experience as an expert witness, deposed 16 times, testified 6 times in Jury trial and 2 times in ITC trial, worked on IPR and Ex Parte Reexamination petitions, and wrote numerous reports.

Selected Clients - Dr. Gottesman's clients have included: Alston & Bird, AZA Law, BakerHostetler, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, Comcast, Cooley Godward Kronish, Cummins, Dechert, Echelon, Fenwick & West, Fish & Richardson, Google, Hill Kertscher & Wharton, Kirkland & Ellis, Sidley Austin, Weir & Partners, Woodcock & Washburn, MagicJack, Microsoft, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, Nokia, Parts Geek, Samsung, Toshiba, TruePosition, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Wiav, and Williams & Connolly LLP.

View Dr. Gottesman's Consulting Profile.

Harry Direen, PhD, PE has over 30 years of experience as an engineer Designing and Developing Systems in the Electronics and Software Industry. He has taught engineering courses at the US Air Force Academy and at the University of Colorado. Dr. Direen currently works with a research group at the US Air Force Academy developing control systems and image processing using GPGPUs for UAVs. An inventor, he holds 3 United States patents.

Litigation Support - Dr. Direen has significant experience as an expert witness supporting counsel and testifying in complex patent infringement cases. He has a broad base of knowledge in electronic and software systems gained from a long career developing a wide range of products and systems. His litigation experience also includes encryption / decryption methods associated with databases and signal processing. Dr. Direen has reverse engineered a variety of complex systems over the years, including: media players, modems, modem compression algorithms, coriolis mass flow meters, database systems, and a range of other products to support patent infringement cases generating detailed claim charts and writing expert reports to demonstrate infringement. He has successfully discovered and analyzed complex digital signal processing algorithms and pertinent operations within these products. Dr. Direen's expertise is available to counsel representing both plaintiff and defendant. He is highly proficient in explaining complex systems to laymen.

Areas of Expertise:

Electronic Systems Control Systems Embedded Systems Design and Development Databases Control of UAVs / Drones

Robotics Software Signal Processing Product Reverse Engineering Intellectual Property

View Dr. Direen's Consulting Profile.

Mark McFarland, PE, DFE, is the founder and CEO of Discovery Engineering.  Mark provides expert consulting services for plaintiff and defense counsel on civil and criminal cases nationwide.  

Mark's practice covers a wide range of cases, typically involving electrical, electronic, or telecommunications phenomena.  He has worked with lawyers in several fields including: personal injury, liability, auto accidents, medical malpractice, class action, insurance claims, contract disputes, securities fraud, homicide, sex trafficking, and more.

Contact Mark at Discovery Engineering when you have litigation involving electrical, electronic, cellular, or GPS evidence.  Licensed & Board Certified.  720-593-1640

For more information, give me a call, download my CV, or visit my website. 

Have a fantastic day!  

James Parker has over 35 years of relevant industry experience specializing in Electronic Security Systems & Sensors, Electronics R&D, and New Product Development. He has in-depth knowledge of electronic product design in both Wired and Wireless Technologies and outstanding knowledge of Environmental and False Alarm Immunity. Products, such as alarm systems, that Mr. Parker led the design of, have an installed base in the millions. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Parker provides Patent Litigation support to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense and is experienced with civil liability, criminal and patent litigation, including Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs). He has the ability to explain complex technical material in a straight forward manner. Mr. Parker's past clients include Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Fish & Richardson PC, Alarm.com, 2GIG Technologies, and Nest Labs. His services are available nationally and internationally. 

Areas of Expertise:

Electronic Security Security Systems Burglar Alarm Systems Intrusion Detection Motion Detection Wireless Alarm Systems Wired Alarm Systems Occupancy Detection Systems Premises Security Residential and Commercial Security Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs)

Research and Development Engineering Management New Product Development Electronic Engineering Embedded Systems Alarm Control Panels PIR (Passive Infra-Red) Motion Detection uW (Microwave) Doppler Motion Detection Solar LED Flood Lights (Patio to Street Level) Patent Litigation Intellectual Property

Background - Mr. Parker is the Past Vice President of Engineering for Digital Security Controls Ltd. (DSC), a leading global manufacturer of electronic security systems and components with sales exceeding $400 million annually. He is currently the President at EE-Systems Group Inc. Canada (R&D) where he is responsible for overseeing new product and business development. A prolific inventor, Mr. Parker has been granted over 25 unique patents with approximately 100 patent documents published worldwide. 

View James Parker's Consulting Profile.

Evidence Solutions, Inc. (ESI) is a premier forensics company established in 1982 to help clients obtain, understand, and utilize all the data and information available to them.  We can analyze cell phones, computers, hard drives, EDRs, reconstruct accidents, provide trucking standard of care consulting, recover digital data, and provide expert witness testimony in our many areas of expertise. Our experts can help you understand what needs to be done, what should have been done, and what to do next.  Call us today so we can help you!

Litigation Support - Evidence Solutions' team of Expert Witnesses has a combined expertise of nearly 3 centuries. Our experts provide expert witness services in Digital Forensics, Law Enforcement, Cyber Security, Accident Reconstruction, Commercial Trucking, Transportation Safety, Real Estate, Greek Fraternity, and Aviation.

Areas of Expertise:

Digital Forensics Auto & Truck Accidents Cell Phone Forensics Accident Reconstruction Black Box Forensics Sports and Fitness Injury Police Standards and Policies CMV Standards Greek Fraternity Issues

Product Failure Analysis Medical Record Recovery and Analysis Data Recovery Real Estate  Financial Services General Aviation Military Aviation Trucking Brokerage Triangulation / GPS

Featured ESI Experts:

Trucking and Tow Truck Liability -  FMCSA Subject Matter Expert - Driver Hiring, Training & Reactions Expert Witness

James Lewis has been working as an Expert Witness in the trucking & transportation industry for over 20 years. He obtained his Class A commercial driver’s license in 1987 and boasts more than two million no-fault accident-free miles to show for his efforts.  He has served as a transportation terminal manager, safety director, truck driver trainer, and owner/operator. 

James’ extensive background in transportation has seen him qualified as an expert witness in federal, state, and local courts. In addition to being the primary expert in several Federal-level class action suits, he has produced more than 12,000 written opinions, has testified in trials, mediations, and arbitrations over 800 times, and has been deposed 167 times.

Expertise: DOT/FMCSA-governed trucking/transportation, Commercial Vehicles (CMVs), Towing and Recovery Operations and Policies, General Transportation Operations, Safety Policies and Procedures, Hours of Service Issues, Drug & Alcohol Reasonable Suspicion, Smith System Training, Driver Training, Truck Driver Responsibilities, OSHA, HAZMAT, Electronic Logs / Electronic Logging.

Doug Gipson  - Crash Scene Analysis and Mapping - 3DAnimation -  Expert Witness

Doug Gipson is an Accident Reconstructionist with over 14 years spent investigating, analyzing, and reconstructing vehicle collisions. As a former Law Enforcement Officer, he responded to thousands of crashes over the course of his career. This experience provides him with firsthand knowledge of what the aftermath of vehicle collisions looks like, and the evidence left behind following a collision.

Doug used the knowledge and experience gained over his career to assist in successful prosecutions of offenders in multiple levels of the court system. His expertise has allowed him to provide expert testimony and expert opinions in civil and criminal cases.

Expertise: Accident Reconstruction, Pedestrian and Bicycle Collision Investigation, Motorcycle Collision Investigation,  Commercial/Heavy Vehicle Collision Reconstruction, Railway Crossing Collisions, Vehicle Examination, Accident Site Measurement, Speed Computations, Forensic Mapping, Scale Diagramming,  and CDR / Black Box Downloads.

Doug Gipson Crash Scene Expert Witness Introduction Video

Tommy Tunson - Law Enforcement Standard of Care Expert Witness

Chief Tunson has 32 years in law enforcement including more than 10 years of experience as a police chief and has worked in every aspect of policing. Lt. Colonel Tunson is a retired Army officer with more than 33 years of military service. Professor Tommy W. Tunson has been a Criminal Justice instructor for the University of Phoenix, California Southern University, and Bakersfield College. He is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Bakersfield College and an Executive Consultant on Organizational Leadership, Bridging the Racial Divide and enhancing Police-Community Strategic Partnerships. Dr. Tunson holds a Doctor of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, Master's Public Administration, and Bachelor of Science degrees.

Expertise: Community Policing, Preventing Violence through Community Policing, Law Enforcement Policy and Procedure, Use of Force,  Police Training, Increasing Department Productivity,  Enhancing Community Trust, Criminal Justice and Public Safety Consulting, and  Evidence based analysis and Testimony. 

View Evidence Solutions, Inc,'s Consulting Profile.

Prof. Makarand (Mark) Hastak, PhD, PE, CCP, CRIS, is the Professor and the Dernlan Family Head of Construction Engineering and Management as well as Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Hastak has been involved with the construction industry for the past 33 years providing his expertise through consulting, research, teaching, and service to the industry. 

Dr. Hastak is a world renowned expert in the area of construction engineering and management including process improvement, disaster risk reduction, resilience and capacity building, infrastructure management, intelligent planning for the built environment, cost control, project management decision-making, risk management, and strategic planning. 

Dr. Hastak is a Professional Engineer (PE), a Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS), and a Certified Cost Professional (CCP). He  has worked on numerous projects sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute (CII), NSF, State DOTs, and City Agencies.

Dr. Hastak  has authored over 200 publications on process improvement, project controls, capital rehabilitation planning, strategic planning, and decision-making. He has co-authored a widely used book on Infrastructure Planning, Engineering, and Economics (McGraw-Hill 2006 and 2015). Dr. Hastak served on the Education Board of the Association for Advancement of Cost Engineering (2004-2016). He was Editor for two AACE books, the Skills and Knowledge of Cost Engineering (6th Ed. 2015) and the CCP Certification Study Guide (2nd Ed. 2016). He was also the Editor-in-Chief of the ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering (2009-2016). 

Dr. Hastak has given over 50 keynotes and invited lectures around the world. As a prominent educator and consultant, he also engages in developing training material and workshops as well as regularly teaching professional courses for the A/E/C industry. His services include consultation, on-site investigation, data collection, assessment, and reporting. He has completed the 30-Hour OSHA Hazard Recognition Training for the Construction Industry 

Dr. Hastak Lectures at the 2015 International Conference on Building Resilience

Litigation Support - Dr. Hastak offers expert witness services to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant. He has served as an Expert Witness on six cases since 2017 and was deposed on two plus one evidence deposition. His services include case reviews, written reports, depositions, arbitrations, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

Construction Engineering Construction Management Cost Overruns Schedule Delays Construction Safety Modular Construction Patent Infringement

Factory Built Construction Infrastructure Planning Data Center Construction Project Risk Management Disaster Recovery / Disaster Mitigation Trade Secrets Misappropriation Contracts & Warranties

View Dr. Hastak's Consulting Profile.

John Hatcher is an industry leader in Building Systems Engineering including, Information Technology, Audio Visual, Security, Building Automation Systems, Fire Alarm Systems, Intelligent Building Concepts and Commissioning. He has worked on some of the most prestigious facilities in the world including the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Russia, India and Southeast Asia. 

Byron Birkedahl, founder and sole expert of HyMasa LLC, has over 41 years of experience in Aviation Electronic Systems at a fortune 100 aerospace company with the most recent role as the Senior Chief Engineer of Advanced Air Mobility and Next Generation Avionics.

Mr. Birkedahl has performed numerous safety assessments of aircraft incidents and served as an advisor to the FAA on new regulatory guidelines. He is an Engineering Fellow / System Architect and Flight Test Engineer credited with creating models and simulations of EVTOL dynamics, propulsion, flight controls and sensors for electronic system design analysis and real time simulator demonstrations. 

Mr. Birkedahl has 11 patents to his name (3 pending) and is responsible for creating control laws for autopilots and flight directors certified on numerous aircraft.

Experience (selected):

• Creation and approval of certification documents and safety analyses
• Knowledge of regulations and architectures of aircraft electronic systems
• Interface and presentations to worldwide aviation regulators (e.g. FAA, EASA, ANAC, CAA, Transport Canada) for the certification of aircraft electronic system
• Establishing the preliminary assessment of safety vs non-safety for aircraft incidents
• Conducting the FAA's Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology (TARAM) of several aircraft incidents and coordination with the FAA of the results
• Analysis of Flight recorder data on a very high-profile accident and meetings with the NTSB on findings

Litigation Support - Mr. Birkedahl has extensive experience in aviation electronic systems that can assist in areas such as aviation accident litigation cases or the evaluation of start-up company viability / risk for investors. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and government agencies.

Areas of Expertise:

• Presentation Communications with Aviation Regulators (worldwide)
• Aviation Modeling / Analytics / Simulation / Control Laws
• Lead Architect of Complex Aviation Electronic Systems
• Communications to Corporate Leadership and Aircraft OEMs
• Aviation Hazard / Safety Assessments

View HyMasa, LLC's Business Consultant Profile.

Matthew J. Hartley is a noted expert in Lighting, Lighting Design, Product Development, AGI32, and Photometry He has been in the Lighting Industry since 1995. In that time, he has held positions in design, product management, customer service, and design engineering. Mr. Hartley has been employed by manufacturers, lighting software companies, and lighting agencies. He has immersed himself in different facets of the industry including indoor and outdoor lighting, safety and security, lighting and human health, and lighting standards. 

Mr. Hartley has been involved with several standard writing committees within the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, producing over six standard documents. Since 1999, he has taught Lighting and Lighting Design to diverse groups, from students to seasoned lighting professionals. 

Litigation Support - With such diverse experience, Matthew Hartley brings a unique perspective to the legal industry. His has field experience with commissioning, field survey and verification, and troubleshooting of field designs and equipment issues. Mr. Hartley's services are available nationwide to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include site reviews, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

Lighting Designs Compliance Photometric and Equipment Verification Illumination Interior Lighting Street and Area Lighting Lighting Control Systems

Light Fixture Construction Lighting Survey Lighting Installations Premises Liability Lighting Security Lighting Insufficient Lighting Lighting Accident Investigation

View Matthew Hartley's Consulting Profile.