Riccardo Tinivella

Technical scale-upEngineering leadershipAI and data transformation

I help engineering teams scale complex products.

I work across hardware, software and systems engineering to help teams turn complex products into repeatable, qualified systems. Over 21 years, I have built the tools, products and teams that different fields were missing.

Discuss a projectExplore my workEarly in your career? Write to me
Years
21
Patents
3
Open projects
40+
Team grown
7 to ~30
Influenced
40
Theses supervised
15

Engineeringteamsdata and AI

Portrait of Riccardo Tinivella

Selected work

What got built.

Simulation tools, engineering systems and experiments with AI. Start with these three, or explore the wider collection.

Start here

See six more selected projects

Power and systems

More selected work

All forty-plus projects

Across disciplines

Where I have done the work.

  1. 2005–2006

    Musical instruments and audio amplifiers

    CNC and CAM woodwork, pickup winding and frequency-response analysis at a luthier’s bench; then the audio amplifiers that drove them.

    Mechanics school, then a year taking instruments apart before any electronics.

  2. 2008–2013

    RF, low-noise and lasers

    FPGA predistortion of GaN power amplifiers; a 21 km laser rangefinder; three patents.

    The only field I actually studied. Everything after this was learned on the job.

  3. 2013–present

    Power electronics

    UPS from 500 VA to 1 MVA; the Taycan 800 V three-in-one converter; the OBC7 charger platform — through EMC campaigns, CE and UL.

    Never studied it. Learned it by owning a product from schematic to UL certificate.

  4. 2016–present

    Systems engineering

    Requirements, architecture, a digital twin in System Composer; test benches from zero, hardware- and software-in-the-loop qualification, ISO 26262 and ASPICE audits.

    The converter kept failing at interfaces nobody owned, so I started owning the interfaces.

  5. 2021–2025

    Organisation, safety and cybersecurity

    A system team grown from 7 to about 30, influencing 40; functional safety, cybersecurity and Application Engineering built from zero.

    Same method as a converter — find the seam, put a name on it, give it a test.

  6. 2026–present

    Business development

    New markets for a 400/800 V converter portfolio — AI data centres, battery storage, industrial power — from a blank sheet, reporting to the CEO.

    Markets I don’t come from. Negotiation and homologation turn out to be problem solving with different units.

  7. 2021–present

    Quantitative finance

    CTO and quant at MenthorQ — gamma, volatility and price-derived signal frameworks running on EC2.

    Control-loop stability and options gamma are the same argument. I checked.

  8. 2024–present

    Agentic AI

    An MCP server inside pyPLECS, Agents Kindergarten, Standard Expert, and open skills for engineering agents.

    Building end-to-end agents instead of talking about them, and publishing what works.

2005–2026

I never planned this. I followed the problems.

On GitHub since December 2015. My oldest surviving public repository is a PartKeepr fork from March 2017; my earliest non-fork repository is PyAutomaticTestbench, created in September 2018. The AI tooling shown from 2024 is a later part of that history.

One bar per employer or engagement; thickness is the share of a full week, so the second job and the advisory read thin. Overlaps are the point. Click a bar to open the record.

  • Hardware and power
  • Systems, safety and test
  • Organisation and business
  • Quantitative finance
  • Agentic AI
  • Advisory and teaching
  • Study and continuing education
1999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Hardware and powerSystems, safety and testOrganisation and businessQuantitative financeAgentic AIAdvisory and teachingStudy and continuing educationLiuteria Marconi snc — Apprenticeship — Instrument Designer, 2005-06–2006-07, 100%Politecnico di Torino — Researcher, 2008-01–2010-12, 100%Politecnico di TorinoMicrosolution srl — Freelance Consultant, 2008-01–2011-12, 30%Politecnico di Torino — FPGA DSP — Predistortion of baseband signals (Freelance), 2008-12–2009-03, 20%Pietro Fiorentini SpA — Freelance Consultant (Gas pipeline), 2009-09–2010-02, 30%Luminae SA — Freelance Consultant, 2010-01–2013-08, 30%LuminaeVectronix AG — R&T Research Scientist, 2010-11–2013-05, 100%VectronixStonex Europe srl — Freelance Consultant, 2013-01–2013-12, 30%StonexGE Critical Power — Electronic Engineer Technologist — single‑phase UPS, 2013-07–2016-03, 100%GE Critical PowerGE Critical Power — Electronic Engineer Technologist — 3‑phase UPS, 2015-01–2016-03, 40%BRUSA Elektronik AG — Hardware Engineer → System Design Engineer, 2016-04–2018-10, 100%BRUSANTB Interstaatliche Hochschule für Technik Buchs SG — Scientific Assistant, 2018-11–2020-04, 100%NTB BuchsBRUSA Elektronik AG / BRUSA HyPower — System Design / Power Electronics Engineer, 2020-05–2021-05, 100%BRUSABRUSA HyPower — Head of System Engineering, 2021-06–2025-12, 100%BRUSA HyPowerBRUSA HyPower — Technical Business Development Manager, 2026-01–present, 100%BRUSA HyPowerMenthorQ — Software Development Consultant, 2021-12–2022-11, 20%MenthorQ — CTO / Quant, 2022-06–2023-05, 30%MenthorQMenthorQ — Senior Quantitative Finance, 2023-05–present, 20%MenthorQAgentic AI tooling — Agents, skills and engineering tooling, 2024-01–present, 10%AI toolingInvestire come i Migliori — Course Instructor — Quant Finance in Python, 2021-04–2021-04, 5%Quant courseVishay Semiconductor — Power Electronic and System Consultant, 2023-12–present, 20%VishayHTWG Hochschule Konstanz – Technik, Wirtschaft und Gestaltung — Guest Lecturer — Power Electronics and Systems, 2025-10–2026-02, 10%HTWG KonstanzITI Leonardo da Vinci — High School — Mechanics, Mechatronics & Energy, 1999-09–2003-09, 100%ITI — MechatronicsENAIP Borgomanero — Professional Diploma as Milling Control Machine Operator, 2003-02–2003-03, 30%ENAIP BorgomaneroPolitecnico di Torino — B.Sc., Electronic Engineering, 2003-09–2006-10, 100%B.Sc. ElectronicsA.T.S. Bottega Scuola Piemonte — Professional Diploma as Artisan, 2005-05–2005-06, 30%Politecnico di Torino — M.Sc., Electronic Engineering, 2006-09–2008-09, 100%M.Sc. ElectronicsVectronix AG — German-language integration training, 2010-01–2012-12, 10%Vectronix AG — Technical and leadership training, 2011-01–2012-12, 10%Vectronix trainingTELC — TELC Deutsch B1, 2013-03–2013-04, 15%TELCCoursera — Introduction to Power Electronics — 100% with distinction, 2014-08–2014-09, 15%GE — Influencing Skills, 2015-01–2015-02, 15%GE — Project Management Fundamentals, 2015-02–2015-03, 15%GE — Leading in a Matrixed Organization, 2015-04–2015-05, 15%GECertX AG — Cyber Security for Automotive — Auto Cyber Security Red Belt, 2021-01–2021-02, 15%CertX AG — Functional Safety for Automotive — Functional Safety Red Belt, 2022-01–2022-02, 15%CertX FuSa1999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026HardwareSystemsOrganisationQuantitative financeAgentic AIAdvisoryStudyLiuteria Marconi — Apprenticeship — Instrument Designer, 2005-06–2006-07, 100%Politecnico di Torino — Researcher, 2008-01–2010-12, 100%Politecnico di TorinoMicrosolution — Freelance Consultant, 2008-01–2011-12, 30%Politecnico di Torino — FPGA DSP — Predistortion of baseband signals (Freelance), 2008-12–2009-03, 20%Pietro Fiorentini — Freelance Consultant (Gas pipeline), 2009-09–2010-02, 30%Luminae — Freelance Consultant, 2010-01–2013-08, 30%Vectronix — R&T Research Scientist, 2010-11–2013-05, 100%VectronixStonex — Freelance Consultant, 2013-01–2013-12, 30%GE Critical Power — Electronic Engineer Technologist — single‑phase UPS, 2013-07–2016-03, 100%GE Critical PowerGE Critical Power — Electronic Engineer Technologist — 3‑phase UPS, 2015-01–2016-03, 40%BRUSA — Hardware Engineer → System Design Engineer, 2016-04–2018-10, 100%BRUSANTB Buchs — Scientific Assistant, 2018-11–2020-04, 100%NTB BuchsBRUSA — System Design / Power Electronics Engineer, 2020-05–2021-05, 100%BRUSABRUSA HyPower — Head of System Engineering, 2021-06–2025-12, 100%BRUSA HyPowerBRUSA HyPower — Technical Business Development Manager, 2026-01–present, 100%MenthorQ — Software Development Consultant, 2021-12–2022-11, 20%MenthorQ — CTO / Quant, 2022-06–2023-05, 30%MenthorQ — Senior Quantitative Finance, 2023-05–present, 20%AI tooling — Agents, skills and engineering tooling, 2024-01–present, 10%Quant course — Course Instructor — Quant Finance in Python, 2021-04–2021-04, 5%Vishay — Power Electronic and System Consultant, 2023-12–present, 20%HTWG Konstanz — Guest Lecturer — Power Electronics and Systems, 2025-10–2026-02, 10%ITI — Mechatronics — High School — Mechanics, Mechatronics & Energy, 1999-09–2003-09, 100%ITI — MechatronicsENAIP Borgomanero — Professional Diploma as Milling Control Machine Operator, 2003-02–2003-03, 30%B.Sc. Electronics — B.Sc., Electronic Engineering, 2003-09–2006-10, 100%B.Sc. ElectronicsA.T.S. Bottega Scuola Piemonte — Professional Diploma as Artisan, 2005-05–2005-06, 30%M.Sc. Electronics — M.Sc., Electronic Engineering, 2006-09–2008-09, 100%German B1 — German-language integration training, 2010-01–2012-12, 10%Vectronix training — Technical and leadership training, 2011-01–2012-12, 10%TELC — TELC Deutsch B1, 2013-03–2013-04, 15%Coursera — Introduction to Power Electronics — 100% with distinction, 2014-08–2014-09, 15%GE — Influencing Skills, 2015-01–2015-02, 15%GE — Project Management Fundamentals, 2015-02–2015-03, 15%GE — Leading in a Matrixed Organization, 2015-04–2015-05, 15%CertX Cyber — Cyber Security for Automotive — Auto Cyber Security Red Belt, 2021-01–2021-02, 15%CertX FuSa — Functional Safety for Automotive — Functional Safety Red Belt, 2022-01–2022-02, 15%

  1. 2005

    The bench

    Instrument-maker’s apprenticeship after mechanics school. I started by taking things apart.

  2. 2008

    Politecnico di Torino

    Organic RFID, GaN characterization, ultra-low-noise analog, FPGA predistortion — and freelance embedded work from year one.

  3. 2010

    Electro-optics

    Laser rangefinders — low-noise analog centimetres from high-power laser drivers. Three patents.

  4. 2013

    Critical power

    Single- and three-phase UPS from 500 VA to 1 MVA. Product ownership from architecture to UL.

  5. 2016

    Automotive high voltage

    Taycan 800 V three-in-one converter — magnetics, EMC, ISO 26262. Then systems engineering and model-based design.

  6. 2021

    The organisation

    Head of System, Test and Application Engineering — 7 to about 30 engineers, influencing 40. Quant finance began at night.

  7. 2023

    Two tracks

    Senior quant at MenthorQ, advisor to a semiconductor application team, guest lecturer in power electronics.

  8. 2026

    Three tracks

    Technical business development for AI data centres and storage; engineering advisory; quantitative finance. All active.

Scroll to see more conference photographs.

Riccardo Tinivella presenting on power-electronics validation at Technopark Zürich
Power-electronics validation, Technopark Zürich.
Riccardo Tinivella gesturing while presenting on stage at Technopark Zürich
Explaining a power-electronics validation decision.
Riccardo Tinivella speaking with a presentation remote at Technopark Zürich
Connecting simulation assumptions with laboratory evidence.
Riccardo Tinivella discussing validation during a conference presentation
Power-electronics systems and validation in practice.

Experience

Teams and organisations I have worked with.

Explore my roles, contributions and projects across industry, research and advisory work.

View complete experience

Writing

Notes from the engineering bench.

What I get wrong, what transfers between fields, and where software, data and AI earn their place in physical-product engineering.

Browse the notesRead and subscribe on Substack

Get in touch

Tell me what is slowing you down.

If you run an engineering organization

Limited hours, so I would rather say that than waste yours. What fits: a technical scale-up assessment, advisory, a second opinion on architecture or verification strategy, a workshop. What does not fit: embedded delivery.

Book an introductory conversation

If you build things and got stuck

The tools are open — simulation, magnetics, systems, agents. Fork them, break them, open an issue. If you are stuck on a workflow or a model, I will answer.

Browse the repositories on GitHub

If you're early in your career

Ask me. The writing, the tools and the answers are free. You will be running this industry in twenty years, and I learn as much from these conversations as you do.

Write to me on LinkedIn