Jake Hohl — Hohl Engineering

Jan 2024 — Present

TerraPower, LLC

Nuclear Energy

Senior Fuel Handling Systems Engineer — Thermal Hydraulics

Lead equipment engineer for fuel storage and passive cooling systems on a next-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor.
Performed thermal hydraulic and heat transfer analyses for nuclear fuel handling equipment using ANSYS and STAR-CCM+, ensuring compliance with stringent safety standards.
Collaborated with suppliers to develop thermal system components — heat exchangers, pumps, and piping — compatible with liquid sodium, argon, and air environments.
Engineered passive natural draft cooling systems for irradiated fuel containment vessels, optimizing long-term thermal management and safety.
Led development of safety-critical systems on the nuclear fuel island, specializing in irradiated fuel transfer equipment.

Jul 2022 — Jan 2024

Virgin Galactic

Aerospace

Sr. Engineer — Delta Spaceship Propulsion Design Lead

Led design and development of propulsion subsystems for the next-generation Delta spaceship, including nitrous oxidizer, nitrogen pressurant, and polybutadiene hybrid rocket motor systems.
Held design authority for Unity, Imagine, and Delta spaceship propulsion systems; released 3D CAD models, engineering drawings, FEA reports, and flight hardware waivers.
Conducted manufacturability studies and tolerance stackup analyses, reducing non-conformance reports and program part waste.
Mentored junior engineers in technical skills and product knowledge.

Dec 2021 — Jul 2022

Karma Automotive

Automotive

Senior Engineer — Thermal Systems

Developed powertrain, battery, and cabin thermal systems for Karma’s inaugural commercial vehicle platform.
Led production release of thermal systems hardware including high-voltage electronics and fluid routing.
Created Karma’s first full vehicle thermal systems simulation model using MATLAB Simulink.
Managed validation testing and led development of thermal control software across BEV, EREV, and CV programs.

Jun 2020 — Dec 2021

Dept. of Energy — Univ. of Nevada, Reno

Research

Graduate Researcher — Advanced Materials

Developed machine learning model automating advanced metallic alloy design; published peer-reviewed research in the Journal of Materials Science.
Utilized Convolutional Neural Networks to automate analysis of Scanning Electron Microscope and Molecular Dynamics data.
Conducted Density Functional Theory and Molecular Dynamics simulations detailing nanocrystalline aluminum alloy grain boundary stabilization.

Jun 2018 — Jun 2020

PACCAR

Commercial Vehicles

Test & Development Engineer — Vehicle Performance

Developed vehicle test equipment and data acquisition tools; implemented proprietary ML models for fleet data analysis and powertrain simulation.
Provided technical analysis for tier 1 supplier selection for PACCAR’s vehicle electrification program.
Led EPA fuel economy certification and aerodynamics testing.

May 2016 — Aug 2017

United Launch Alliance

Aerospace

Design Engineering Intern — Propulsion & Upper Stage Structures

Designed cryogenic and hypergolic fluid systems hardware for boosters and upper stage structures.
Developed structural hardware for second stage avionics in high vibration and thermal loading environments.
Managed propulsion ground systems Air Force certification testing and ultrasound analysis of composite pressure vessels.

Professional Experience