Margherita Zanini-Fisher
CAREER SUMMARY
Creative Research and Advanced Engineering Professional with over 20 years of experience in the Automotive Industry. In-depth knowledge of regulatory On-Board Diagnostics (OBD), Telematic Fleet Monitoring, electronic devices for engine control and emission reduction in Diesel and Gasoline applications. Have a passion for assessing performance, manufacturability, and cost of emerging technologies. Recipient of 20 patents in the field of automotive sensors and diagnostics. Excellent analytical skills and diversified hands-on laboratory experience. Proficient written and oral communication skills, works well either independently or in cross-functional teams.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
FORD MOTOR COMPANY, Dearborn, MI 1977 – 2007 - Senior Technical Specialist
Control Systems Department, Research and Advanced Engineering, Developed methods to meet government regulations for On-Board Diagnostics (OBD)
2001 – 2007
Particulate Filter OBD monitor to meet the ’07-‘08 production requirements. Received a Technical Excellence Award for demonstrating the robustness to false alarms of the Diesel based on Image Charge Sensing. Awarded 1 patent and 1 pending for devising a method that monitors increased particulate emissions
Developed and patented the OBD Cold Start Monitor used in ’05 and later. Government cooperative research on clean combustion and emission reduction
Studied feasibility and market opportunities for Telematic Fleet Management
Company Lead Representative to the USCAR Low Emission Partnership that coordinates Industry
Led development of high accuracy methods that track real time vehicle utilization, fuel consumption, an user-friendly interface, widely used by engineers to estimate powertrain usage and oil consumption
Spearheaded the design and implementation of the Diesel Durability Fleet Data Mining Package with Senior Technical Specialist
Physics Department, Research- 1995 – 2000
Developed silicon-micro-machined gas sensors for on-board exhaust measurements
Awarded 7 patents for the design and utilization of micro-calorimetric gas sensors.
Designed the device micro-fabrication process and built in-house prototypes.
Senior Technical Specialist - 1993 – 1994
Powertrain Sensors Department, Electronic Division
Identified warranty reduction actions for Heated Exhaust Gas Oxygen (HEGO) sensors
Received Continuing Improvement Quality award for contributions in establishing engineering
FORD MOTOR COMPANY (continued)
Developed and implemented a fast and cost effective test that verified the HEGO exhaust seal
Principal Research Scientist Associate
Microsensors and Actuators Department, Research
Investigated Flex Fuel Sensor Technologies for Alternative Fuel Vehicle
Determined the root cause for the optical sensor failure at low temperature and demonstrated improved robustness and reduced manufacturing costs
Developed silicon-micro-machined sensors. Worked closely with supplier to introduce the dielectric sensor successfully into production.
Designed and fabricated advanced mass-air flow sensors for automotive intake manifolds in a $2M technology exchange with University of Michigan
Awarded significant Intellectual Property on silicon-based sensors which was later traded
Evaluated electrode materials for rechargeable batteries
Developed novel intercalation compounds for sodium-sulfur rechargeable batteries
Assessed lithium intercalation compounds for high energy and high power density batteries for
EDUCATION
Doctorate, Physics (Laurea, Italian equivalent to PhD), University of Rome, Rome, Italy 1971
LANGUAGES
Fluent in Italian, both written and spoken
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Extensive Corporate training in Six-Sigma (Green Belt certified)
Controls of Spark Ignited and Compression Ignited Internal Combustion Engines
Catalytic Reduction of Automotive Emissions and Emissions Testing
COMPUTER APPLICATION SKILLS
MATLAB & Simulink • INCA • Access • Visual Basic • AutoCAD • PowerPoint • Minitab • MS Project • Word • LabVIEW • Excel