Lindsay

Technical Operations Engineer

My work at Saildrone has taken me to new countries, islands, and lakes that I never would have explored. No matter where I go, I’m always near the water.

As a technical operations engineer, I travel to support remote deployments and perform sensor calibrations for a range of missions. I am responsible for resolving any technical issues to ensure the vehicles operate at the highest level of capability.

The unique opportunity to develop cutting-edge technology that supports the health and safety of the ocean initially drew me to my role at Saildrone. It was the perfect combination of my passion for engineering and my love of exploring the ocean.

I enjoy supporting our vehicles through their entire life cycle. From assembly to mission execution, service, and recovery, my team is involved every step of the way. I take personal ownership of a vehicle’s performance during mission execution.

I’ve developed new skill sets working closely with the assembly, operations, and piloting teams, and I’m constantly challenged to grow my technical expertise and become a better engineer. I strive to deliver the highest quality data for our customers, which means keeping the vehicles fully mission-capable.

My day-to-day is pretty varied. I travel a lot to support remote deployments—anything can be a desk.

The people are the best part of Saildrone! Our unique platform and data products demand a wide variety of skills, from engineers to boat builders and professional sailors. I’ve been lucky to find great mentors here who have helped me grow professionally.

My role has taken me to new countries, islands, and lakes I never would have explored. A particularly special memory is of a pod of dolphins that followed us out on a deployment in New Zealand. They completely surrounded the support boat we were on, jumping out of the water and playing in the waves.

I get to explore the ocean through the “eyes” of our saildrones. The data and images they send back tell the stories of their quickly changing environments.

I can see real-time sea temperature data all over the world depending on where the vehicles are positioned. Each body of water is unique and offers its own complex circumstances to operate in.

When I’m not traveling, Saildrone’s Alameda location offers great access to the San Francisco Bay. The bathymetry testing we do right outside of our building has allowed us to find shipwrecks in the Bay while streaming the live sonar data as the saildrone transits. Viewing these maps of the seafloor has been a fun way to learn more about where we live.