Mechanical Engineer
John
Borkowski
I design and build complete marine monitoring systems end to end — hardware, firmware, backend, and mobile. Solo.
About
Building systems, not just parts.
I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering (Summa Cum Laude, 3.68 GPA) and spent the last few years doing what most engineers do in separate careers — in one. I've done hands-on manufacturing work at Viking Yachts, run machine learning research in an academic lab, and independently built a full marine monitoring product from PCB to mobile app.
That breadth isn't accidental. I take on cross-layer problems because they're where the interesting engineering actually lives. Firmware communicating reliably with a cloud backend, a sensor signal becoming a user-facing alert — the seams between disciplines are where systems break, and where building them from scratch teaches you the most. My goal is always to understand a system at every level, not just the layer I was handed.
I'm drawn particularly to marine and ocean technology — the constraints are real (saltwater, vibration, intermittent connectivity), the problems are underserved, and I spend enough time on the water personally to know firsthand what working solutions actually need to do.
Right now I'm actively looking for roles in marine tech, hardware-software integration, and engineering at early-stage companies where the full stack is someone's job.
Presenting at Rutgers Aresty Research Center
Experience
Where I've worked.
Viking Yachts
Summer 2025
Mechanical Engineering Intern
- ▸Created 3D CAD models and 2D manufacturing drawings (SolidWorks) for propulsion, hydraulic, and marine HVAC systems
- ▸Produced manufacturing documentation used directly on the production floor
- ▸Collaborated with engineers and technicians on design-for-manufacturability (DFM) improvements
- ▸Verified fit, alignment, and routing; identified and resolved component conflicts before build
Rutgers Aresty Research Program
2024 – 2026
Research Assistant — AI-Driven FEA & Materials Research
- ▸Built SolidWorks models and ran FEA stress/strain analysis across a range of loading conditions
- ▸Wrote Python automation for data collection and processing pipelines
- ▸Developed PyTorch neural networks to predict structural material behavior from simulation data
- ▸Presented research findings to faculty and industry reviewers
Projects
Things I've built.
Marine Monitoring System — End-to-End Solo Build
Boat owners face a real problem: they leave their boats unattended for days or weeks, with no way to know if the battery is draining, the bilge is filling, or something's gone wrong. I saw this firsthand and built HullSense to solve it — a cellular-connected monitoring device that tracks battery voltage, bilge water level, and GPS position, with a mobile app that alerts owners the moment something needs attention.
Full Stack — One Engineer
System Architecture
Firmware
Device Layer
BLE
Bluetooth Low Energy
Cloud Backend
Data & Logic Layer
LTE / REST
Hologram cellular + API
Mobile App
User Layer
Designed & built solo — sensor to app
Hardware photos — coming soon (post PCB fabrication)
Fleet overview
Battery & location
Weather & tides
Firmware
ESP32 microcontroller running custom C++ firmware with a BLE communication protocol for local device pairing and configuration.
Cloud Backend
Node.js backend on Firebase with Stripe for subscription billing, Twilio for SMS alerts, and Hologram for cellular (LTE) connectivity.
Mobile App
Flutter cross-platform app (iOS + Android) — real-time vessel monitoring, battery history charts, GPS map, and push notifications.
Concentrated Solar Collector
Rutgers MAE Senior Design · Spring 2026 · 5-person teamDual-axis sun-tracking parabolic trough solar water heater — built and tested outdoors against a real performance target
A reflective parabolic trough concentrates solar radiation onto a copper absorber pipe. An Arduino-controlled stepper motor and linear actuator track the sun across the day, and an insulated tank stores heat overnight. Design target: heat water from 25°C to 90°C in a 10-hour daylight window and hold above 80°C through an 8-hour night, within a $700 budget.
The prototype achieved concentrated solar heating and overnight heat retention. Peak temperatures fell short of simulation targets — testing in April introduced lower solar intensity and colder ambient temperatures than the assumed mid-May design conditions, explaining the delta between simulated and measured curves. The discrepancy was identified and quantified rather than glossed over.
My Contributions
- ▸Full 3D CAD model
Complete assembly modeled in SolidWorks across multiple design iterations
- ▸Physical assembly & manufacturing
Helped build the reflector frame, absorber mounting, and structural components
- ▸Electronics wiring
Arduino, stepper motor driver, linear actuator, temperature sensors, power/buck converter circuit
- ▸Control software
Sun-tracking algorithm, actuator/motor control loops, and temperature data logging
Ribbon Burner Forge & Foundry
Personal build
Designed and built a propane-fired ribbon burner forge capable of exceeding 2000°F for metal casting and forging. Welded the steel chamber, applied refractory insulation, and tuned the ribbon burner combustion system for even heat distribution. Demonstrates hands-on fabrication competence and practical applied thermodynamics — not from coursework alone.
CD Jukebox Bluetooth Speaker
Personal build
Built a custom Bluetooth + CD speaker from scratch: Raspberry Pi Zero running a Pirate Audio HAT, wired to amplifiers driving a bass driver and two full-range drivers, with an integrated CD player. The same hardware-software integration instinct as HullSense — embedded computing, audio electronics, wiring — on a smaller, self-contained scale.
Skills
Tools & disciplines.
CAD & Design
- SolidWorks
- Autodesk Inventor
- Fusion 360
Analysis & Programming
- Python
- MATLAB
- Numerical analysis
- FEA
- Data processing
- PyTorch
Manufacturing & Fabrication
- Machining
- Lathe / mill operation
- Refractory systems
- High-temp material handling
Engineering Concepts
- Thermodynamics
- Heat transfer
- Combustion
- Structural analysis
- System integration
Resume
Full credentials.
Contact
Let's talk.
I'm actively looking for roles in marine tech, hardware-software integration, and engineering at early-stage companies. If that sounds like your team, reach out.
© 2026 John Borkowski
johnmbork.com