Dr. Macfarlane is a multi-faceted leader that enjoys building leading edge teams and creative solutions.

Leadership roles include:

  • The design of an application for a geospatial company that transforms the traditional data acquisition process to include feeds from mobile devices and community input via the web.

  • Evaluated a core software development effort, using agile methodologies. This included examining the business process that the software development project was designed to support.

  • Executive level responsibility for identifying business models that advanced the business strategy for OnStar. Communicated business needs to technology vendors to create viable partnerships for future development efforts. Represented OnStar through speaking engagements.

  • Developed next-generation technology plans for OnStar. This involved evaluating and integrating a variety of technologies, including: ad-hoc networking for mobile network design, voice recognition technologies, and web portal integration. Lead architect for all projects. Co-authored 8 patents in the areas of signal processing, application algorithms, and device design.

  • Established the Advanced Technology office in California. This included: opening a new office, recruiting and managing new staff members, establishing a high technology image in Silicon Valley, and establishing communication processes with corporate headquarters.

  • Group Leader for the Software Technologies and Applications Group at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The group was a multi-disciplinary group of 11 research scientists composed of physicists, biochemists, computing scientists and engineers. Responsible for writing proposals, directing research efforts and representing and promoting research work in design reviews.

  • Managed Enterprise Modeling and Simulation Task for the Amtex Project. Responsible for approximately $7 million dollars of laboratory effort per year across three national laboratories. Three product line investigations were completed that mapped business and operational processes across a multi-company value chain, including all operations from fiber to consumer product. Led the design of a framework that captured the knowledge gained through the product line investigations. Led the design and development of a dynamic simulation capability that allowed the user to create custom value chain structures and predict profitability of decision policies. The vision of this effort was to provide a decision-based framework for electronic commerce networks using agent-based technology.

  • Managed the software development for a system that enables a site manager to determine the optimum remediation strategy for environmental cleanup. This interdisciplinary project integrated chemical transport, exposure, and biological risk assessment codes to determine risk. An integrated cost model established projected costs of the selected remediation enabling the site manager to choose the strategy that provides the greatest risk reduction for the least cost.