Dinesh Nathaniel's Mechanical Engineering Portfolio
Currently Drivetrain Lead for Illini Electric Motorsports and a Payload Engineering Intern on DARPA's NOM4D program, investigating in-orbit manufacturing aboard the ISS.
Where I come from on this.
I'm a mechanical engineering student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (GPA 3.90, Dean's List), passionate about designing systems with real impact.
As a Payload Engineering Intern on the DARPA NOM4D program, I designed and integrated 50+ payload components alongside NASA JPL and Voyager engineers, investigating in-orbit manufacturing of composite materials aboard the International Space Station.
As Drivetrain Lead for Illini Electric Motorsports, I lead a team of 15+ engineers optimizing corner assembly and brakes systems to cut unsprung mass and improve vehicle efficiency.
I've been building things since I was 10 years old, and that curiosity has only grown — into a drive to keep learning, building, and taking on projects bigger than myself.
Selected work.
ISS Composite Manufacturing Payload
Designed and integrated 50+ payload components investigating in-orbit manufacturing of composite materials.
Illini Electric Motorsports
Leading a 20+ person team redesigning the car's corner assembly and brakes.
Production Tooling & Quality Systems
Designed fixtures, components, and tooling to enable the start of in-house bicycle frame production.
Injection Mold Design & Flow Simulation
Designed, analyzed, and CNC-machined an aluminum injection mold.
Multi Terrain Transport Robot
Led a 4-person team designing a robot that crosses 3 diverse terrains and drops off a payload using only a single motor input.
Multi-Function Ice Scraper Redesign
Measured and redesigned a snow-brush-and-ice-scraper assembly, then repurposed the brush head into a functional squeegee to extend its use beyond winter.
Sub-1lb Competition Battlebot
Designed, wired, and built a sub-1lb RC battlebot that competed against other student-built bots and won the class design award.
Microwave Ray Gun
Constructed a working microwave gun from scrap parts to test its impact on electrical components.