Undergraduate Alumni Profile: Christopher Bedell
Christopher Bedell
Chris Bedell was an undergraduate student in the BC physics department from 2003-2007. While completing his undergraduate degree Chris performed research with Professor Jan Engelbrecht in computational neuroscience, where he created mathematical models to understand the behavior of neuron interactions, and originated correlations between neuron interactions and mean field theory, which was presented at the APS conference in 2006. Chris also performed research at the Institute for Scientific Research at Boston College where he used statistical data analysis and mathematical modeling to understand magnetic fields and how they interfere with GPS signals in the ionosphere. Upon graduation, Chris decided to pursue another one of his interests in Finance and Economics. He completed his Master's in Finance at Boston College in 2008 while working at State Street in Quantitative Operational Risk Management, and then at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College as an economic research associate.
After being corrupted by the dark side of mathematics through finance, it was now easier to defect and go to Boston University to complete his Master's in Mechanical Engineering. While completing his Master's at BU, Chris worked at Children's Hospital with a team of engineers on a minimally invasive surgical robot, and designed algorithms to produce the optimal robot for use in surgery on newborns, which was published in ICRA 2011 “Design Optimization of Concentric Tube Robots Based on Task and Anatomical Constraints”. He also worked on a project developing an algorithm for flying UAVs through cluttered environments in a way that reproduces the trajectories of birds and bats. After completing his Master's at Boston University in 2011 Chris went on to work at General Electric Aviation. Chris developed and qualified the T408 engine for the Marine CH53-K King Stallion, led the performance team for the Army FATE engine demonstrator program, was the project manager for the Army Thermal/Electrical/Propulsion integration program, and is currently working on developing and qualifying the T901 engine for the Army which will be used both to upgrade the legacy fleet as well as be the primary engine for the upcoming Army FARA program.
How do you reflect on your time as a physics undergraduate student at BC?
I loved my time at BC and my time as a physics undergraduate student. BC gave me a glimpse into both the arts and sciences with a core curriculum, and being a physics major allowed me to build my understanding of physical systems and how they interact, as well as a strong background in mathematical computation and simulation. I loved having a close-knit group of friends and colleagues that shared similar passions. Graduating from the physics program allowed for many doors to be open to me, though at the time I don’t think I really understood this fully. The most obvious progression is to go into academia as all of the professors around you have. Looking back at my graduating class some went to academia, some went into government jobs, some to actuaries and finance, others to industry and engineering like myself. My path to where I am today was not a straight line, but along the way, I found what I am passionate about, and took all the experiences I gained along the way and applied them to my passion. Being a physics major at BC gave me the opportunities I needed, and the drive to find my passions, to lead me to where I am today.
How did your experience at BC contribute to your current career?
Looking at where I currently am in my career I see myself using the following skills daily. Computational modeling and simulation of concept engines as well as demonstrable engines (technical skills), planning for contingencies and making real-time decisions (physical understanding of a system and interactions), authoring test plans and reports (written communication), presenting plans and results to internal and external customers (verbal and visual communication to target audiences), and collaborating and integrating multiple disciplines to execute on complex tests (People Management). All of these skills started to mature at BC and are constantly being updated and refined.
At BC, my computation science minor and the work done with Professor Engelbrecht built my strong concept of computer programing and mathematical modeling. I was able to take these tools with me into Finance at State Street, through my masters at BU in engineering, and up until this day. Physics, in general, helped me to have a rich understanding of how objects interact mechanically and thermally, these core concepts help me to make decisions about how systems will act and interact. I will never love to write reports, but the skills and feedback I received from Physics labs have made the writing of the reports easier and have allowed me to present data and results more clearly. Presenting in classes was helpful, but presenting research outside my comfort zone at poster sessions and forums like the March APS meeting, gave me the best experiences to learn from. Collaboration and understanding how to help a team work together and use each other's strengths to the fullest is something that takes time and experience to do well. BC gave me opportunities to work with partners and small groups, with professors, and at some of the institutes like the ISR at Boston College. These experiences really helped me to understand how different groups of people work together and allowed me to have experiences to learn from in terms of what did and did not work.