About Me

Andrew Campos

Mechanical Engineer | Leader | Pilot | Aerospace/Robotics Enthusiast

I am a junior Mechanical Engineering student from Palo Alto, California, studying at Columbia University in New York City. My experience spans electric-vehicle hardware, robotics, and aerospace. As of Fall 2026, I recently completed a Mechanical Design Engineering internship on Tesla’s Drive Inverter Team, where I worked on a phase-out busbar and a fault-response hardware component. Last summer, I interned at NASA’s Ames Research Center, where I helped develop and test a large-scale actuated tensegrity robot. At Columbia, I’m involved in research in Hod Lipson’s Creative Machines Lab, where I’ve helped design and fabricate a powered mobility system for wheelchairs and strollers. I am also an avid aviation enthusiast and hold a private pilot’s license with an instrument rating. Aviation has always shaped how I approach engineering: good systems should be dependable, intuitive, and designed around the people who operate them. I love creative design and rapid prototyping and am most energized by hands-on problems involving mechanical design, electromechanical integration, and reliability testing.

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Education

Columbia University – New York, NY

B.S. Mechanical Engineering (Expected 2028)

GPA: 3.90/4.00, Dean’s List
Relevant Courses: Computer Graphics & Design, Intro to Electrical Engineering, Linear Algebra, Ordinary Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus, Physics Mechanics/E&M/Waves, Intro to CS for Engineers, General Chemistry, Experimental Physics Lab, Foundations of Data Science
Currently Taking: Mechanics of Solids, Thermodynamics, Intro to Mechanics of Fluids, Machining, Mechanical Engineering Lab
Involvement: Phi Gamma Delta, Formula SAE Frame/Body/Aero, Columbia Rugby

Los Altos High School – Los Altos, CA

High School Diploma

Class President:
- Served as a liaison between school leadership, administration, and the 500 person Class of 2024, successfully raising over $40,000 for scholarships and events through innovative fundraising initiatives.
- Led over 30 class council meetings, fostering collaboration and driving impactful student engagement.
Associated Student Body:
- Facilitated policy discussions with administration on dress codes, clubs, and scheduling, shaping impactful campus decisions.
- Organized community events like food drives, diversity assemblies, and spirit weeks, promoting school spirit and inclusivity.
MVLA Service League of Boys Member
Varsity Football
Other Jobs:
- Lifeguard - Fremont Hills Country Club
- Summer Camp Counselor - Decathlon Sports Club
Awards:
- Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition
- LAHS Leadership Award
- Seal of Biliteracy (Spanish & English)
- National Honors Society
- California Scholastic Federation

Experience

Tesla Motors, Drive Inverter Team

Mechanical Design Engineering Intern | June 2026 - September 2026 | Palo Alto, CA

Contributed to Tesla’s drive inverter phase-out busbar and owned a fault-response hardware component through design, DFMEA, material research, CAE, manufacturing reviews, drawing and design packages, supplier coordination, and validation and reliability testing.
Designed fixtures for heat-sink swaging, Hall sensor calibration, PCB mounting and calibration, and laser welding using CAD, machining, 3D printing, and supplier sourcing.

Columbia Creative Machines Lab

Researcher Co-Lead | February 2025 - Present | New York, NY

Co-leading a detachable Segway-like powered attachment for non-electric wheelchairs, managing project logistics, budgeting, lab and makerspace coordination, and professor communication.
Designing drivetrain parts in CAD; machining steel axles, sprockets, and keyed interfaces on a lathe and mill; fabricating the frame; and integrating the motor, gear shifter, battery, and controller.
Contributing to patent work for the project.

NASA Tensegrity Research Project

Internship | Summer 2025 | Mountain View, CA

Developed a scalable motor-actuated tensegrity structure for lightweight, compliant robotic mobility.

HiPeRLab Drone Research Project

Volunteer Research Assistant | Summer 2025 | Berkeley, CA

Redesigned the PairTilt quadcopter to reduce weight and rotational inertia using carbon fiber, CAD, and mechanical tradeoff analysis.

Columbia FSAE Racing

Frame/Body/Aero | October 2024 - May 2025 | New York, NY

Designed and optimized wings with CAD and CFD to balance downforce and drag, and contributed to the nosecone and diffuser.

Fusion Reactor Research Project

Independent Research | January 2023 - November 2023

Used Monte Carlo methods to study tritium breeding optimization and blanket design for future tokamak fusion reactors; publication in progress.

Skills

Technical Skills

CAD/Design: SolidWorks, CATIA, OnShape, Engineering Drawings
Analysis: FEA, DFMEA, CFD (Altair, Beginner)
Manufacturing: Tormach CNC Mill, CNC Lathe, Bandsaw, Laser Welding, 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, Soldering
Electronics/Test: Oscilloscopes, Multimeters, Hall Sensor Calibration
Programming/Data: Python (Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib), Java, HTML
Other: Supplier Coordination, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Academic Writing (LaTeX)

Language

English, Intermediate Spanish

Licensed Pilot

Airplane Single Engine Land & Instrument Rating — 220+ Hours, 100 Hours PIC, 430+ Takeoffs/Landings in High Performance Single Engine Aircraft (Cirrus SR22)