staff
Lynn Samantha Discenza, President

Ms. Discenza, co-founder of Design By Analysis, Inc., has guided DBA as it has grown from a single person consulting firm to a twenty person full service design company with an impressive customer base. Prior to founding DBA, Ms. Discenza spent 18 years as a structures analyst with leading aerospace companies such as Chandler Evans a Division of Coltec Industries, TRW and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil and structural engineering from Villanova University and has completed graduate course work requirements for a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.
Dr. Mehdi Golafshani, Chief Technologist

Dr. Golafshani has over 30 years of professional experience in propulsion research, design and development for private industry, including 15 years of program management experience in high-tech thermo-fluid systems. Dr. Golafshani has been a private consultant, to the government, and private industry, on flow and heat transfer modeling using state-of-the-art CFD. As a member of the DBA staff , he has been responsible for flaw identification, performance improvements, and redesign of high pressure, high temperature thermo-fluid multiphase systems. He has been involved in many projects ranging from mini electro-optical cooling system and miniature fuel-cell design, and development, to component design, and analysis of magnetic levitating, power generating helium turbine engine, as well as identification and resolution of several high, and low pressure valve, and centrifugal pump flow instability problems.
He was a research scientist with Thiokol Propulsion Company for 7 years prior to returning to academia to teach and carry on research for 8 years as an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and lead CFD Faculty in the area of high-speed propulsion. Dr. Golafshani has contributed to the NASA Space Shuttle and JPL Mars Pathfinder Programs; several rocket programs, including, Delta, Tident II (D5) and SICBM Midgetman; and, to the redesign of GTE Turbine Blades. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City with an emphasis on the experimental and computational modeling of multi-phase thermo-fluid systems. He is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Mr. Rob Moore, Sr. Project Engineer/Business Development
Mr. James Jones, Senior Analytical Engineer

Mr. Jones has 35 years of structural and mechanical design and structural dynamics, CFD, thermal analysis and scientific software development experience in various fields including power, defense, electronics, and automotive. He worked at ITT Grinnell and Sparta Systems as well as a consultant before joining DBA in 1998. Some representative projects he has been responsible for are as program manager and analyst for ship borne laser range finding system, system modeling of heat engine coupling gas dynamics and kinematic effects, nonlinear thermo-elastic-plastic prediction of laser induced controlled detonations of artillery shells, and combustion simulation of prototype rotary diesel engine including optimization of fuel injection timing. Mr. Jones has a BSCE from the University of Lowell along with graduate courses in solid mechanics, numerical analysis, FEA theory and application.
Mr. Robert Avalone, Senior Mechanical Engineer

Mr. Robert E. Donahue, Senior Dimensional Analyst
Ms. Debra Viets, Senior Designer
Mr. Gerald Lee, Project Manager
Mr. Lee has had extensive experience at DBA designing aerospace products. He has worked on pump, valve, actuator and gear box designs for Hamilton Sundstrand, Curtiss Wright Flight Systems, Goodrich Pump and Engine Controls, Warren Pump and Woodward Governor Company. He also has designed tools for manufacture. His prior work experience includes senior tool design and manufacturing engineering positions at MTU Aero Engines, Superior Electric (formerly Danaher Corporation), Howmet Corporation, and Grosite. His technical education was obtained at Tunxis Community College, and as a Journeyman Tool Designer for the State of CT.
Mr. Daniel Kimberly, Mechanical Engineer
Mr. Kimberly obtained his BS in Aerospace Engineering from the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University. His relevant coursework included: Thermodynamics; Engineering Graphics and Computer-Aided Design; Fluid Mechanics; Engineering Materials, Properties, and Processing; Aerodynamics; Dynamics of Mechanical Systems; Design and Analysis of Aerospace Structures; Electrical Engineering Fundamentals; Linear Control Systems and Manufacturing Processes. Additionally, Mr. Kimberly gained hands-on experience with Aircraft Design, Design and Analysis of a spacecraft Vibration Isolation System, Thrust Structure Design, and Electronics through his education. His industry experience includes the design and prototyping of various structural brackets and electrical panels for electrical components in transit buses for Daimler Buses.
Ms. Amanda Nichols, Mechanical Engineer
Ms. Nichols graduated with distinction from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with an MS in Mechanical Engineering. During her undergrad studies at WPI, she also had a Concentration in Astronautics and minored in International Studies. Her extensive studies included: Advanced Materials with Aerospace Applications, Spacecraft and Mission Design, Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, Manufacturing Science, Rocket Propulsion, Spacecraft Dynamics and Control, Aerospace Structures, Controls Engineering, and Design for Manufacturability. Ms. Nichols, an IIE Lean Green Belt, has a computer skill set which includes SolidWorks, Lab View, MatLab, and MathCAD.
Ms. Krystle Strachel, Sales & Marketing/ Office Manager
Ms. Strachel performs many key office functions for DBA, including Market Research, Database Management, Sales Strategy Development, Tracking of Sales, Quotes and Purchase Orders, Presentation Design, Management of Internet Marketing, Meeting Coordination, and various accounting tasks. She earned her BS in Communication, Advertising and Promotions from Southern CT State University and minored in Art.
SPECIALISTS:
Mr. Robert Goodman, Pneumatics Engineer
Mr. Ray Furst
Mr. Furst has over 50 years of experience in the turbomachinery, fan, and pump fields, primarily in the aerospace industry. He has worked for premier aerospace companies such as AlliedSignal, Chandler Evans, Sundstrand, Bombardier, Rockwell, and Garrett. For the DBA/PLU Advanced Main Fuel Pump, Mr. Furst’s experience led to the development of software to automate the design and analysis of centrifugal pumps. He has been credited with five patents in the pumping field. He was also honored with the ASME Henry R. Worthington Medal for contributions to the pumping profession and two NASA awards for contributions to rocket engine turbopump design and analytical procedure improvement. He is a co-author of a text book on Centrifugal Pumps and has been a consultant to DBA since 1997. He is a fellow for the Institute for Advancement of Engineering, and has a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering.
As an organization of dedicated professionals, Design By Analysis strives to achieve worldwide recognition as a leader for providing advanced technology solutions to a host of diverse industries.