Open to opportunities · Twin Cities, MN · will relocate
Chanchal
Dhiman.
Lead Systems & Functional Safety Architect - ISO 26262, IEC 61508, MBSE & EV Powertrains.
Six years taking electric machines and safety-critical mechatronics from Simulink model to production floor. Currently leading functional safety and mechatronic system architecture at Tennant Company; authoring complete ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 safety cases, executing quantitative FMEDA/FTA risk analyses, and engineering fail-safe control platforms.
Press / anywhere to jump around
Experience
Where I've built things
Jan 2026 - Present
Lead Systems & Functional Safety Engineer
Tennant Company · Twin Cities, MN
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- Lead functional safety engineering and MBSE-driven platform architecture using SysML and MATLAB System Composer - deriving technical safety concepts (TSC), hardware/software safety requirements, and complete safety cases.
- Perform quantitative and qualitative safety analyses including FMEDA (calculating SPFM > 90%, LFM > 60%, and PMHF), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), HARA, and Dependent Failure Analysis (DFA) under ISO 26262 and IEC 61508.
- Run Design Structure Matrix (DSM) clustering analysis to isolate interface coupling across multi-ECU zonal topologies and restructure subsystem boundaries prior to hardware commitment.
- Drive hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) fault injection testing and software integration across embedded controls, CAN/J1939 protocols, and electromechanical actuators.
- Own end-to-end requirements traceability across mechanical, electrical, software, and controls in Visure ALM to guarantee compliance and audit readiness.
Sep 2023 - Dec 2025
Mechatronics Systems Architect
Tennant Company · Twin Cities, MN
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- Spearheaded end-to-end EV platform architecture for next-gen industrial vehicles, defining system requirements, high-voltage battery topology, e-motor selection, and inverter integration.
- Architected dual-channel steer-by-wire controls certified to IEC 61508 SIL2 and ISO 13849 PLd, defining safety mechanisms and executing hazard mitigation.
- Designed closed-loop motor control algorithms in MATLAB/Simulink and verified driveability targets using Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) fault-injection testing.
- Executed trade studies for wireless power transfer on autonomous mobile robots (AGVs): evaluated transfer efficiency, thermal dissipation, and foreign object detection.
- Implemented CANopen across multi-node EV platforms, building motion-control sequences on CiA 402 state machines for coordinated drive behaviour.
- Engineered Python test automation with Azure-connected pipelines and Power BI dashboards for real-time fleet diagnostic visibility.
Jan - Aug 2023
Electrification Engineering Intern
Populus Group · Michigan
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- Contributed to prototype development of industrial electrified platforms - high-voltage battery and control system design.
- Performed simulation, performance modelling, and calibration in MATLAB and Python.
- Ran battery performance validation and motor testing (PMAC vs induction) through data-driven analysis.
- Created reusable test scripts and simulation templates that streamlined R&D validation workflows.
Jun 2019 - Jul 2021
EV Controls & Validation Engineer
HKI Motors · India
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- Developed BLDC traction control with Model-Based Design in MATLAB/Simulink - motor dynamics, torque loops, and regenerative braking logic for an EV powertrain platform.
- Deployed control software to embedded hardware via Rapid Control Prototyping on the MotoHawk/Woodward toolchain, enabling real-time closed-loop iteration without manual code generation.
- Ran HIL validation against a steady-state dynamometer to characterise motor performance under load and verify control response against torque-speed targets.
- Performed system calibration and drive-cycle data analysis to refine control parameters and document performance margins.
Jul - Dec 2017
Mechanical Engineering Intern
Maruti Suzuki Pvt. Ltd. · India
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- Assisted in design and validation of CVT systems for 4-cylinder engines.
- Conducted data acquisition and performance analysis on torque-transfer stability and drivability metrics.
- Prepared feasibility assessments and technical reports supporting production integration.
Projects
Open source & research
CANviz - real-time CAN bus debugger
Native protocol decoding for CiA 301 (CANopen), CiA 402 (motion control), and J1939 (heavy vehicle networks). Built for rapid signal tracing and fault isolation across multi-node industrial and automotive systems.
View on GitHub →DSM Optimizer
Spectral clustering and Markov Cluster Algorithm with simulated annealing to partition system dependency matrices - surfacing hidden coupling in large architectures.
View on GitHub →Power-split hybrid vehicle control
Model Predictive Control strategies optimising battery and engine power sharing across multiple drive cycles.
Battery sizing for hybrid EVs
Kuhn-Tucker optimisation for battery pack sizing under thermal, energy, and aging constraints.
Propulsion architecture trade-off
ICE, BEV, and PHEV comparison in AMESim - gearbox ratios, motor sizing, and energy utilisation.
Electronic throttle control
Closed-loop feedback controller for an electronic throttle body over CAN, with real-time calibration tooling.
Custom CVT & gearbox design
Custom CVT and gearbox for an ATV; transmission ratios validated on an inertia dynamometer.
Education
Degrees & certificates
Professional Certificate, MBSE
MIT xPRO - system architecture, DSM, SysML, systems thinking
In progressM.S. Mechanical Engineering
Michigan Technological University - control systems, signal processing, V&V, electrification
GPA 3.68Graduate Certificate, Hybrid & EV Engineering
Michigan Tech - hybrid powertrain, BMS, power electronics, electric drives
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Savitribai Phule Pune University - SolidWorks, V&V, automotive engineering
About
How I work
I operate at the seam where functional safety, embedded software, and hardware architecture meet. Most of what I ship follows a rigorous safety-by-design lifecycle: derive technical safety concepts, model system behavior (MATLAB/Simulink, AMESim), quantify safety integrity (FMEDA, PMHF, FTA), and prove fault mitigation via HIL/SIL fault injection before production release.
The graduate work behind that (Model Predictive Control, battery sizing optimization, powertrain trade studies) still earns its keep daily. And because a fleet in the field generates more truth than any test plan, I build the Python/Azure/Power BI telemetry pipelines to listen to it.
Model & simulate
MATLAB/Simulink · AMESim · LabVIEW · HIL/SIL · MPC
Embedded & networks
CAN / J1939 · CANopen · CiA 402 · MotoHawk · Raspberry Pi
Systems & safety
ISO 26262 · IEC 61508 (SIL2/SIL3) · ISO 13849 · FMEDA / PMHF · FTA / DFA · MBSE / SysML · DSM · Visure ALM
Data
Python · SQL · Azure · Power BI
Contact
Let's talk
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