CV

Contact Information

Name David Olivares
Professional Title Research Engineer and Scientist (PhD)
Email da.olivares@proton.me

Experience

  • 2025 - present

    Paris

    Research Engineer
    Akkodis Research
    • Worked on autonomous driving systems, contributing to the navigation stack of an autonomous car (Kia Niro).
    • Developed control algorithms and tested them on a simulated digital twin in the CARLA simulator.
    • Tools: ROS2, CARLA, C++.
  • 2021 - 2022

    Toulouse

    Robotics Engineer
    Akkodis Research
    • Contributed to the Gearbodies European Project involving a holonomic wheeled robot for non-destructive inspection of composite train carbodies.
    • Developed a navigation stack enabling the robot to autonomously complete its inspection mission.
    • Tools: ROS2, Gazebo, C++, Python, and sensor fusion for localization and mapping using time-of-flight, ultrasound, and 2D/3D LiDARs.
  • 2021 - 2021

    Blagnac

    R&D Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Engineer Intern
    Capgemini Engineering
    • Designed and implemented deep reinforcement learning models for quadrupedal locomotion of a wheeled/legged robot.
    • Tools: OpenAI Gym, Stable Baselines, TensorFlow, PyBullet, Robotics.
  • 2020 - 2020

    Les Ulis

    Integration Validation Verification Engineer Intern
    Safran Electronics & Defense (Safran Data Systems)
    • Improved an automatic benchmark for testing and validating airborne embedded equipment (mission recorder).
    • Tested embedded software including commands, encryption, self-diagnosis, and video signals.
    • Tools: Ruby, military standards, video formats, and communications.

Education

  • 2022 - 2025

    Palaiseau

    PhD in Robotics
    Paris-Saclay University — ONERA — Akkodis Research
    Learning-Based Control of a Fixed-Wing UAV (FW-UAV) Under Wind Disturbances
    • Investigation of reinforcement learning based techniques for developing autopilot systems.
    • Results on model-free RL (PPO/SAC) versus model-based RL (TDMPC2) algorithms for attitude control of a fixed-wing UAV under wind disturbances.
    • Extended this work to waypoint tracking, showing TDMPC2’s potential for hard waypoint tracking with complex acrobatic maneuvers and robustness to wind gusts.
  • 2016 - 2021

    Paris

    Master of Science, Embedded Systems Major
    ECE Paris
    Computer Science
    • Relevant courses: Robotics, Reinforcement Learning, Linux Kernel Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms.
  • 2018 - 2018

    South Korea - Suwon

    Abroad Semester in South Korea
    Ajou University
    Software Engineering
    • Relevant courses: System Programming (Linux kernel programming, drivers…), Data Structures, Operating Systems, Korean language.

Projects

  • Challenge UTAC-CERAM: Autonomous Vehicle Platooning

    Final-year project at ECE Paris Robotics Team.

  • Robotics French Cup

    Project with the ECEBORG Robotics Club.

Awards

  • 2024
    Best Student Paper Runner-Up
    International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO)

    Received for the paper on model-free versus model-based reinforcement learning for fixed-wing UAV attitude control under varying wind conditions.

Publications

Skills

Programming Languages: C/C++, Python, MATLAB/Simulink
Technologies: Embedded/Real-time Linux, Raspberry Pi, 3D Printing, Prototyping
Libraries & Frameworks: ROS2, PyTorch, Stable Baselines, Gymnasium, JSBSim, PyBullet, OpenCV, PCL, Git

Languages

French : Native
Spanish : Bilingual
English : C1 (IELTS 7.5/9, TOEIC 930/990)