In early 2020, we launched the SIMULIA Champions program. The 2020 SIMULIA Champions are the inaugural team of brand ambassadors, whose expertise and passion position them to advance the future of simulation technology. In this series of blogs, we introduce some of our individual SIMULIA Champions, finding out more about their history – and future – with the technology.
Huan-Yang Chen is a Principal Engineer at Zebra Technologies in New York. He works in the company’s antenna department and leads the research and development of wireless solutions including 5G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GNSS and more. Zebra has grown a great deal in the last several years. Chen works with multiple engineering teams as well as industrial design, marketing and sales teams.
Chen has been using CST for more than 10 years and implements the software in antenna simulations. He describes it as his favorite software.
“Using tools like CST actually helps a lot, providing things we couldn’t access in the real world,” he says.
When Chen was in high school he became fascinated with math and physics, and later realized that engineering is the perfect combination of the two subjects. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, spending a total of six years there – years that he describes as some of the best of his life. After graduating, Chen moved to the United States and received a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Working in engineering allows Chen to apply much of what he learned in school to make products and services that can change the world.
“I’m thankful I got good opportunities in the United States,” he says. “I’m still doing engineering projects I love at this moment. Nothing is easy but I have a good time solving problems and coming up with solutions.”
Coming from a largely theoretical background, Chen found it challenging at first to work in a field where many of his colleagues had a great deal of hands-on experience. He worked to apply what he had learned, however, and use his technical insight to solve problems. Engineering is often trial and error, he adds. It is important that he not only solves problems but understands and reveals their core to be able to offer solutions with comprehensive understanding.
“One of the biggest challenges in my career is convincing my colleagues and customers that doing things in different ways actually benefits all of us,” he says.
Outside of work, Chen enjoys many different sports including basketball, baseball, football and soccer. Sports are one way that he is able to spend time with his children, ages 7 and 10. He also describes himself as a comedy fan who likes to make people laugh.
“We have a lot of challenges and difficulties every single day, but being able to laugh is an amazing moment,” he says.
SIMULIA is pleased to welcome Huan-Yang Chen into the 2020 SIMULIA Champions program and excited to continue working with him in the future. Stay tuned to the blog to learn more about our other 2020 SIMULIA Champions.
SIMULIA offers an advanced simulation product portfolio, including Abaqus, Isight, fe-safe, Tosca, Simpoe-Mold, SIMPACK, CST Studio Suite, XFlow, PowerFLOW and more. The SIMULIA Learning Community is the place to find the latest resources for SIMULIA software and to collaborate with other users. The key that unlocks the door of innovative thinking and knowledge building, the SIMULIA Learning Community provides you with the tools you need to expand your knowledge, whenever and wherever.
