Shaya Nematifar, Principal Project Engineer
At CAES, our people are our most important asset. We sat down with several of our engineers to learn more about their career paths, interests and why they enjoy working at CAES. Read on to learn more about Shaya Nematifar, Principal Project Engineer
In high school, Shaya Nematifar was very involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and it was during these years that his teachers recommended he pursue engineering. He went to the University of Oklahoma for his undergraduate degree and completed several co-op opportunities in engineering.
Nematifar lived with his uncle who is a lawyer for two years in college, where he was able to learn valuable communications skills and the importance of respecting people. He then took these skills and applied them to his work as an engineer. Nematifar shared that even if you are a great engineer, you still need to know how to communicate with people and work as part of a team.
Early in his career, one of the first co-ops Nematifar completed was with Motorola, where he worked on the original design team for the Razor flip phone. “It was very rewarding to see the products I worked on in store shelves and in people’s hands,” said Nematifar.
Later, Nematifar worked in the commercial aerospace field when the COVID-19 pandemic left him looking for work in the San Diego area. He discovered CAES and was very interested in the products and the work that CAES does for the aerospace and defense industry.
Nematifar started at the CAES San Diego facility in 2020 without extensive RF experience, but learned very quickly with the help of his team.
When sharing career advice, Nematifar noted that is important to not look for the “perfect” job when first starting out in your career, rather focus on finding a place where you are comfortable and can grow.
On the weekends you can find Nematifar volunteering at an organization that helps coach foster youth. He helps coach and assists with workshops, typically two or three weekends a month and even sometimes during the week. He also enjoys being in nature and going mountain biking around San Clemente and Rose Canyon in California.
Thank you, Shaya, for sharing your story with CAES!
Want to learn more about life at CAES? Visit our Careers page here.