Spotlight: Theodore Elle Mbeng

We’re proud to work with seriously skilled people who tackle the challenges involved in product development!

We’d like to highlight Theodore Elle Mbeng and his journey from his master's degree program to his work at ALTEN Technology as a senior model-based systems engineer working on automotive projects.

What did you do before joining ALTEN Technology?

In 2010, following the completion of my master’s degree in the design of control algorithms in France, I began my career as an engine control engineer at Valeo in Paris. Later, I had the opportunity to improve my English by relocating to Belgium, where I worked for Plastic Omnium (formerly Inergy) as a calibration engineer of aftertreatment systems. A few years after that, Plastic Omnium transferred me to France for a calibration and validation engineer position.

When did you join ALTEN Technology?

I joined the ALTEN Technology team in 2017. I started supporting a tier 1 supplier client as a control algorithm engineer for by-wire systems, including steering-by-wire and shift-by-wire. After two years, I had the chance to move to a project supporting a leading global automaker. For the past three years, I have been supporting the automaker as a senior model-based systems engineer (MBSE).

What are you most passionate about?

I am firmly convinced that a successful system design starts with a successful system definition from the conception phase: the system engineering. If you master the “why” and the “what” during the system conception, then the “how” during the control algorithm phase becomes crystal clear. This philosophy has guided me throughout my journey at my client.

What are some of the challenges you are helping solve at your current client?

Indeed, at my current client, the increase in vehicle features, the challenge to shift the business model toward electrified propulsion, and the challenge brought by global warming all require reviewing and defining the vehicle design process. As a model-based systems engineer, I am in charge of reevaluating and redefining the system definition process and methodology in collaboration with the global systems engineering team. To guarantee the success of my client’s vehicle fleet, the systems engineering process integrates a focus on the stakeholder requirements, the system scenarios, the system use cases, and lastly, the system requirements (functional and nonfunctional requirements).

How is your role integral in this definition process?

To better define and demonstrate the efficiency of the MBSE process, I am responsible for developing the MBSE models of the propulsion features such as torque vectoring, vehicle range, or vehicle-to-X (i.e., vehicle-to-load, V2L) for future programs. The V2L feature uses a battery to supply electrical power to a system, including high-power density systems like fridges. The vehicle range feature is a vehicle algorithm that allows it to evaluate the kilometer or mile distance the vehicle can achieve with a given battery state of charge (SOC).

What do you love the most about your role?

I believe my curiosity to decompose even the most complex system has fundamentally guided me in my role. The reason I joined ALTEN Technology in 2017 was to experience new cultures. At my client and ALTEN Technology, the team I work with and the new processes I am exposed to are why I am excited about work. I am excited by the milestones I have faced and the roadblocks I have overcome as an MBSE engineer, and I continually look forward to new challenges from the my client’s strategy.