Gavin Kohn

Education

University Master in Engineering Design | Universitat Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) | Sept. 2023 - Sept. 2024

Thesis centered on design, prototyping, and experimental testing of an optical system for Astronomy. Thesis score 9.5 / 10.

Overall grade: 8.7 / 10

Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering | University of Maryland, College Park | 2017 - 2022

Citation in the Environment, Technology, Economy Scholars Program

GPA 3.46 / 4.0

Bachelors of Science in Astronomy | University of Maryland, College Park | 2018 - 2022

GPA 3.46 / 4.0

Work experience

Founder, Optomechanical Engineer| Sept. 2024 – Current

Apereon Imaging LLC

· Created a company selling astrophotography products and providing consulting work for companies and individuals.

· Design of multiple products for Astronomy, astrophotography, and optical design.

· App development and sale of RayTracer, an optical simulation tool for Fusion 360.

· Find out more at www.apereon.com

Optomechanical Engineering Design Intern | June 2023 – August 2023

Mettler-Toledo Autochem

· Created a calibration system for an interferometer used to measure particle size in chemical reactions.

· Redesigned a heated chemical flow cell to improve assembly and production costs.

Private STEM tutor | Jan 2023 – Current

Self-employed at www.wyzant.com/Tutors/GavinSAT

· High school and college level math, engineering and science, including Solidworks, Mechanical Engineering courses, SAT Math, Astronomy, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, Geometry, Algebra, AP physics, etc.

· Website creation, ad running and management, customer service and other business skills.

· Udemy course including 4 hours of video lecture and practice problems for the SAT Math section. See the course here

Thermal Engineering Intern | May 2021 – July 2021

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

· Simulated CO2 gas warming in the MOXIE system using Thermal Desktop, MATLAB and AutoCAD

· Simulated model results closely matched previous data sets within a 10% margin for error

CFD Research Intern | May 2020 – May 2021

MIT Haystack Observatory

· Created analytic and computational fluid dynamic models using MATLAB and COMSOL to predict dust loading rate for the MOXIE Filter, as well as Python coding and MOXIE data analysis

· First author and presenter at the international Conference on Environmental Systems

Senior Lab Manager | Sept. 2018 – Mar. 2020, Sept. 2021 – Dec. 2021

Terrapin Works

· Fabricated metal and plastic parts for researchers, companies, and customers

· Trained new employees in 3D printing and laser sintering technologies

Head Astronomy Tutor | Sept. 2020 – Dec. 2021

UMD Astronomy Dept.

· Taught new Astronomy students matrix data analysis using MATLAB

· Managed and coordinated peer tutors for introductory astrophysics course in Fall 2021

Skills

Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Simulation: SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, COMSOL Multiphysics, Thermal Desktop, Creo Parametric Design, Autodesk 360 Fusion, AutoCAD, Siemens NX, Zemax, Optiland, Raytracer.

CODE: MATLAB, Python, Arduino, C++, Processing IDE, Excel, MS Office Suite.

Leadership: UMD Engineering Senator, CAD Subteam Lead for Engineers Without Borders - UMD Nicaragua, Senior Lab Manager/Trainer at Terrapin Works.

Languages: Native English speaker, Advanced Technical Spanish (C1).

Certifications

NCEES FE Exam Passed (Sept. 2022): https://account.ncees.org/rn/2313531-1548315-8be544d

AutoCAD Certified User Exam Passed (Jan 2023): ID 84001058

C1 Spanish from the University of Valencia (2024)

Publications

First Author, Presenter, Kohn, G., Hecht, M., Hoffman, J., McClean, J. 2021. Modeling the Dust Particle Impact Rate on the MOXIE Filter, 50th International Conference on Environmental Systems. ICES-2021-149.

DIY Optical Bench with Kinematic Mounts, Kohn, G. Instructables Featured Article, 2026.

DSLR/Camera Lens Spectrometer, Kohn, G. Instructables Featured Article, 2026.

Optical Simulation Tool - RayTracer: Kohn, G. Published in 2026. Available on Autodesk App Store.

Android App: Kohn, G. Simple Spellcheck. 2026. Available on the Play Store.

Patent Pending: Kohn, G. Camera Body that Facilitates Attachment of a Smartphone. Priority

date 08/12/2025. Application number 19/411,564.

Udemy Course, Digital SAT Math: Skip the Calculations with SAT Hacks! See the course here

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Education

Work experience

Skills

Certifications

Publications

Any questions? Get in touch at gavin [dot] kohn [at] gmail.com