UAlbany Grad Becomes Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin
ALBANY, N.Y. (June 5, 2026) — Brian Allen attributes much of his success at UAlbany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering to sheer hard work.
Of course, it helped that before pursuing a bachelor’s in electrical and computer engineering at CNSE he excelled at math and science and “always like figuring out how things work,” as he put it.
Now, as Allen embarks for a position at Lockheed Martin, the Class of 2026 graduate explains how a capstone project and key mentor prepared him.
How would you describe your role at Lockheed Martin?
I’m a systems engineer and I work on testing radar systems.
How did CNSE help get you there?
CNSE enabled me to build the technical background and problem-solving skills I needed for this.
Your most valuable experience as an undergrad?
The capstone class. My radio frequency capstone project helped me learn more about RF systems, radar and how to work through a real engineering project.
How so?
Radio frequency signals are the invisible signals used by things like phones, Wi-Fi and radar systems. Our goal was to build a system that could sense when those signals were low, medium or high in relation to a certain environment. We used small sensor devices to collect the signal data and send it wirelessly to a Raspberry Pi, which displayed the results on a computer screen.
Who was your biggest mentor and what did you learn from that person?
Jonathan Muckell. He helped me become a more professional engineer and taught me to document my work, stay organized and always double-check what I’m doing.
Your number one takeaway from CNSE?
Always work hard, even when you don't feel like it.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Still learning a lot and working at Lockheed Martin, as a level 3 systems engineer.