Using technology and innovation to protect Canada’s soldiers.
When Richard isn’t indulging in his favourite pastime – salsa dancing – you can find him working at General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada thinking up future technologies.
He was first introduced to GDLS-Canada when he spent his last co-op term at the University of Waterloo in the company’s Computer Modeling and Simulation (CM&S) Group.
Richard always wanted to build supersonic jet fighter airplanes, but there were no Canadian companies doing it and he didn’t want to leave his family and his “great country.” So his plan was to get his PhD after graduation.
We talk about innovation being in our DNA and they’re not just words – we work very hard on it.
But that plan was put on hold when, during his co-op, he walked into work on Sept. 11, 2001 and saw everyone watching the event that changed everything; the course of the company, the course of his career and the whole technological landscape.
“Canadian troops and their Light Armoured Vehicles were now preparing to go to Afghanistan and all of a sudden IEDs and mine blasts became priority one,” he recalls. “I was given an opportunity to use my knowledge in CM&S and supersonic flow from jet fighter design to lead innovation in vehicle survivability.”
Richard and his small team came up with the concept and design for the LAV 6.0’s Double-V hull™ that delivers high levels of vehicle survivability for Canadian soldiers.
Now, Richard is part of GDLS-Canada’s Innovation Cell, where he contributes to the creation of cutting-edge concepts.
“We talk about innovation being in our DNA and they’re not just words – we work very hard on it,” he points out.
Richard also leads all collaboration with academic institutions all across Canada, strengthening Canada’s proficiency in science and technology.
When asked what makes him want to go to work every morning, his eyes light up.
“So many things! It’s so exciting!,” he says. “It’s mostly the world of technology and what the future holds in that world that inspires me to get to work.”