Alec Sevan Ohanesian

Production manager at Karman Space & Defense, pursuing an MBA at UCLA. Manufacturing Engineering graduate of Cal Poly SLO, where a passion for complex aerospace parts was discovered. Co-founder of Avalon Aero, competing in the DARPA LIFT Challenge.

Experience

Work
Production Manager2026 – Current
Karman Space & Defense
  • Led aerospace manufacturing operations across a 40,000 sq ft facility, directing 75 employees across three shifts.
  • Optimized production flow through bottleneck identification, labor balancing, and structured shift communication.
  • Improved factory throughput through data-driven leadership, deploying ERP and Power BI dashboards for real-time WIP and delivery visibility.
Manufacturing Engineer / Production Leader2024 – 2026
Rolls-Royce
  • Led two production departments yielding $22M in annual output across critical engine programs.
  • Managed 14 direct reports; drove daily problem solving across machining and inspection, achieving 4% productivity increase.
  • Developed automated labor/sales tracking dashboard providing real-time visibility across three shifts and 40+ team members.
Founder2025 – Present
Avalon Aero
  • Co-founded Avalon Aero LLC and led development of a swashplateless coaxial UAS for the DARPA LIFT Challenge.
  • Designed novel cyclic pitch control system eliminating traditional swashplate mechanisms, reducing system weight by 8–12 lbs.
Education
MBAIn Progress
UCLA Anderson
B.S. Manufacturing Engineering2020 – 2024
Cal Poly SLO
Skills
Siemens NX SolidWorks Mastercam SAP ERP Power BI CNC Machining Lean Mfg SQL / VBA
Involvement
YNG – YPO Next Generation2026
Eagle Scout2019
Boy Scouts of America

Projects

CNC Laser Measuring System

Led deployment of BLUM laser measurement on Makino A99s at Rolls-Royce, automating tool offset correction and broken tool detection.

Automated Eye Tracking System

PLC-controlled real-time eye tracking. Programmed, fabricated, and assembled all hardware independently.

Heart Valve Assembly Fixture

Capstone with Edwards Lifesciences — ergonomic fixture implemented across multiple facilities to reduce cycle time.

Writing

Essays
Essay

Mutation of a Digital Nation

How the internet’s promise of liberation became the architecture of our division — from Katz’s 1997 digital utopia to algorithmic echo chambers, homophily, and the Dead Internet Theory.

Jul 2025
Book Reviews
8.5/10 Fantasy

The Black Company

Grimdark fantasy told through the Company’s Annalist. No map, no magic system — Cook makes up for it through sheer gritty badassery.

8/10 Fantasy

The Chronicles of Amber

A fantasy series spanning two opposing true worlds called Amber and Chaos, with thousands of shadow worlds in between. Strong first five books, weaker latter half.

7/10 Sci-Fi

The Gaea Series

Great genre blend of sci-fi and fantasy. Book 2 nearly broke me with centaur biology. Book 3 redeemed the whole thing.

6.6/10 Fantasy

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

Picked it up for the cover. A legendary pirate, one final score, Arabian Sea. Surprisingly well-researched fantasy rooted in mythology and Arab culture.

6.35/10 Sci-Fi

A Scanner Darkly

A psychedelic thriller following an undercover cop who becomes addicted to the drug he’s investigating. Set in Orange County with a satisfying, navigable story.

5/10 Historical

Between Two Fires

A knight and a girl crossing plague-stricken France. Horror meets historical fiction — outside my comfort zone, but perfectly average seems fair.

4.5/10 Sci-Fi

The Sirens of Titan

Classic Vonnegut absurdity — fate, free will, abuse of power. Short book that felt long.

4.2/10 Sci-Fi

Ubik

Reality breaks down, time regresses, Ubik keeps appearing. Provocative questions, unsatisfying narrative. Not where to start with Dick.

2.6/10 Sci-Fi

The Space Trilogy

Didn’t finish this one. Felt more like a Christian allegory than the alien battles and spaceships I was expecting.