Joachim Schmidt

Over the past 5+ years at Dcubed, I’ve grown alongside the company — from Working Student to Head of Engineering — in a fast-paced NewSpace environment where roles were fluid and responsibility came early. From the beginning, I was deeply involved in the development of space mechanisms, taking ownership of mechanical systems, subassemblies, and even budgets while still a student. This hands-on involvement allowed me to build strong expertise in actuators, hold-down and release mechanisms, and separation systems — not just from a design perspective, but across the full product lifecycle. I have designed, built, tested, and qualified multiple space-grade actuator systems, gaining a deep understanding of their behavior, performance, and failure modes in demanding environments. Investigating the most common failure modes as well as their mitigations is also a part of my role Today, I lead the engineering department with full ownership of a growing product portfolio of more than six products in parallel. My role combines technical depth with strategic responsibility — shaping both the products themselves and the way we develop them. My responsibilities include: - Owning and steering the full product portfolio, including roadmap definition and product lifecycle decisions - Leading end-to-end development of actuators and release mechanisms, from concept to qualification and production - Driving continuous improvement by integrating customer, quality, and production feedback into product evolution - Managing team, budget, and facility resources with full responsibility for engineering expenditures This journey reflects a continuous expansion of both technical depth and leadership responsibility — from hands-on engineering of critical space hardware to guiding the overall direction of the product portfolio.

As a VSR at Stanford University, I specialized in the development of reconfigurable structures, focusing on the design and implementation of an antagonistic shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator. This actuator enabled precise movement of a helical antenna between stable states, allowing it to adapt its performance to changing environmental conditions. My research contributed to advancing the field of smart materials and adaptive systems, with applications in space and communication technologies. Following my time at Stanford, the collaboration continued and resulted in multiple publications at international conferences, as well as contributions to the journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

LaBarista was my startup venture, offering barista courses for corporate team events and staff training in cafes and hotels. I learned essential skills in client acquisition and building a strong online presence. The journey taught me the challenges of running a business, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and dedication. Despite the hurdles, the satisfaction of building a business from scratch made it a fulfilling experience.

For my thesis, I developed and implemented a highly dynamic temperature measurement system to capture entropy waves in a sequential combustion chamber. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of acoustic and entropy wave interactions in self-igniting combustors—an essential step toward enabling efficient hydrogen combustion for a more sustainable energy future. Throughout the project, I gained hands-on experience in high-frequency data acquisition and advanced data processing, allowing me to analyze complex transient phenomena. I built a solid foundation in combustion physics, with a focus on combustion instabilities and entropy wave dynamics. In addition, I applied principles from control theory and designed and assembled electronic circuits, including precision spot welding under microscopic conditions. The project required a high degree of autonomy and independent problem-solving, from experimental setup and instrumentation to data analysis and interpretation.

During this internship, I gained hands-on experience in designing and manufacturing mechanical test setups. I also learned to program and operate a six-axis manufacturing robot. Additionally, I had the opportunity to build space-grade components using carbon fiber and analyze their properties, expanding my knowledge in materials science and aerospace technology.

In my first engineering and manufacturing internship, I learned to operate essential machinery like lathes, drills, mills, and grinders. I also gained hands-on experience in assembling and troubleshooting transmissions, sparking my passion for the field.