Shalini Thimmegowda
Bangalore
Summary
Engineering leader with 20+ years of experience in failure analysis, materials characterization, and laboratory capability development for complex, high‑reliability products. Proven track record of owning end‑to‑end failure investigations—from problem definition and rapid diagnostics to root cause, corrective action, and feedback into design and manufacturing. Experienced in leading and mentoring high‑performing technical teams, scaling failure analysis operations, and improving investigation throughput and decision clarity under time‑critical conditions. Recognized for translating deep material and failure mechanics insights into clear, actionable guidance for design, quality, reliability, and operations teams. Strong cross‑functional partner with experience working across global teams and external stakeholders, driving product safety, reliability, and customer trust while navigating ambiguity and competing priorities. Passionate about building sustainable technical capability, developing talent, and embedding a culture of ownership, rigor, and continuous improvement.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Engineer / Global Failure Analysis Leader
Aviation Engineering
04.2025 - Current
- Global technical owner for failure analysis and materials application engineering, building scalable capability through structured mentoring and skill development.
- Led high-impact root cause investigations for field-critical failures, partnering with internal stakeholders and external agencies to drive corrective actions.
- Defined standard analytical workflows and reporting templates, improving clarity, speed, and consistency of failure disposition decisions.
- Developed strategic resource and skill roadmaps aligned with emerging product technologies and manufacturing processes.
- Led materials design review activities and ensured systematic feedback of failure learnings into development and production.
- Championed product safety expectations across suppliers and repair partners, supporting audits, containment, and continuous improvement.
Senior Engineer / Failure Investigation Lead
Aviation Engineering
Bangaluru
04.2022 - 04.2025
- Led failure investigations for complex hardware systems, delivering actionable material insights for reliability and customer-impact decisions.
- Mentored and onboarded engineers globally, strengthening technical depth and ownership within the failure analysis organization.
- Developed and delivered product safety and failure analysis training programs for cross-functional and external stakeholders.
- Provided rapid-response technical support during critical product-down situations, enabling timely recovery decisions.
- Led structure–property–performance correlation for advanced repair technologies, progressing concepts from lab validation to production readiness.
- Facilitated material innovation sessions resulting in multiple concepts advancing toward intellectual property filing.
Staff Engineer | Failure Analysis & Quality Escalation
Aviation Engineering
Bengaluru
04.2017 - 04.2022
- Led root cause analysis for major quality escape events, identifying systemic gaps and driving containment across multiple product lines.
- Partnered with quality, supply chain, and operations teams to resolve high-risk issues impacting reliability.
- Contributed to ~100 failure investigations, influencing design updates, inspection strategies, and quality processes.
- Improved lab logistics and hardware shipment workflows, reducing analysis lead time by over 50%.
Earlier Roles | Failure Analysis, Materials Engineering & Research
GE Research
Bengaluru
07.2006 - 04.2017
- Established failure analysis lab capability leveraging shared infrastructure and limited resources.
- Developed rapid analytical methods for debris and coating evaluation.
- Built deep expertise in microscopy, microanalysis, oxidation, coatings, and joining technologies.
- Delivered published research and recognized technical contributions across materials and reliability domains.
Education
Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) - Chemical Engineering
Visvesvaraya Technological University
Skills
- Failure analysis and ownership
- Root cause leadership
- Advanced materials characterization
- Lab operations and scale-up
- Cross-functional decision support
- Team building and mentoring
- Product safety and reliability
Selected Journal And Conference Publications
- Shalini, T., Metallurgical Evaluation of Cracking Observed in a Commercial Gas Turbine HPTK Case Port Weld, IMAT 2025.
- Shalini, T., Metallurgical Evaluation of Bolt Fracture in Commercial Gas Turbines, IMAT 2024.
- Shalini, T., Premature Cracking and Fatigue in Aircraft Engine Components, IMAT 2023.
- Shalini, T., Durability Study of Adhesive Joints in Aerospace Engine Components, IMAT 2023.
- Capusini, F., Jacopo, S., Sanyal, S., Massimo, M., Kumar, S., Shalini, T., Vishwanath, Damage Evaluation and Failure Mechanics of APS TBCs, ASME Proceedings, 2009.
- Satisha, B. R., Ravi Kumar, K. A., Shalini, T., Improved Tribological HVOF Coatings for Fretting Wear Resistance in Gas Turbine Hardware, AeroMat 2014.
- Satisha, B. R., Kumar, R., Anand, K., Shalini, T., Elevated Temperature Fretting Wear Behavior of Cobalt-Based Alloys, ASME 2016.
Innovation Awards And Impact
- 18 patents filed and published
- Winner – Innovation Challenge for novel measurement technique (patented)
- Multiple Engineering Excellence, Safety, and Innovation Awards
- Recognized for driving product safety, reliability, and customer-impact outcomes
Languages
English
Proficient (C2)
C2
kannada
Proficient (C2)
C2
Hindi
Upper Intermediate (B2)
B2
Timeline
Principal Engineer / Global Failure Analysis Leader
Aviation Engineering
04.2025 - Current
Senior Engineer / Failure Investigation Lead
Aviation Engineering
04.2022 - 04.2025
Staff Engineer | Failure Analysis & Quality Escalation
Aviation Engineering
04.2017 - 04.2022
Earlier Roles | Failure Analysis, Materials Engineering & Research
GE Research
07.2006 - 04.2017
Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) - Chemical Engineering
Visvesvaraya Technological University