Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Bioengineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014
  • M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008
  • B.S., Computer Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2005
  • B.S., Electrical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2005
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Electrical, Arizona, #68650
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
  • Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator (CVFI)
  • Functional Safety Practitioner (Automotive ISO 26262)
Professional Honors
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (NSF GRFP), Recipient 2006
  • National Science Foundation IGERT Fellow, 2006-2008
Professional Affiliations
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
Languages
  • Spanish

Dr. Kuykendal's expertise is in electrical and electronic systems, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), automotive electronics, consumer electronics, electric vehicles (EVs) and other battery powered devices. She specializes in evaluating the safety of electrical system designs including failure analysis investigations and product liability issues. 

Dr. Kuykendal has expertise in the evaluation of ADAS technologies including efficacy under diverse environmental conditions, variability in design implementation and sensor utilization, and performance across a wide variety of scenarios. Her evaluations are supported by rigorous design analyses in addition to extensive performance and simulated-failure testing.

Dr. Kuykendal's experience includes system analyses of automatic emergency braking, electronically controlled throttle actuation, forward collision warning, electric vehicle batteries, adaptive cruise control, airbag control systems, and numerous other embedded systems with application in both traditional, ADAS-equipped, and autonomous vehicles.

At Exponent, Dr. Kuykendal focuses on the analysis of complex control systems, large-scale and small-scale lithium-ion batteries coupled with their charging and protection circuitry, device construction quality, and complete system functionality and performance. Dr. Kuykendal works extensively on evaluating the safety of consumer and automotive electronics by performing component and system-level design reviews coupled with electrical testing and on-site inspections. She regularly performs failure analyses and fire investigations relating to home, automotive, and industrial claims.

Additionally, Dr. Kuykendal has expertise with high-throughput testing of products for accelerated aging of electrical systems and components. She has expertise in the evaluation of medical devices for FDA compliance, magnetic resonance imaging compatibility, and insurance code application. She is proficient in performing due diligence investigations for assessing biomedical technology and intellectual property, including market and technology research into current wearable technologies.

Dr. Kuykendal received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in which she developed high-throughput closed-loop analysis techniques for evaluating the efficacy of electrical stimulation on neural tissue. Her work encompassed hardware design, software development, real-time video analysis of neural activation, and closed-loop system control.