A Space Talent Spotlight Series Interview with Meharban Singh Sobti, Founder at Eyehat, former Senior Avionics and RF Engineer at SpaceX
What is your background?
My formal education is in digital signal processing and wireless communications, but my career trajectory has broadened to include controls, sensors, and some guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) work. Even though my path has been heavily technical, I've always had a passion for creative pursuits including writing poetry and short stories. This artistic inclination has been a pillar in my engineering approach, instilling a desire for creativity and innovation in my technical work and ethos.
When I was applying to colleges, I applied as a physics major at every institution except USC, where I chose electrical engineering, somewhat impulsively. After being accepted at USC, the initial years were challenging, particularly the circuit theory coursework, but persistence paid off, even in the seemingly aimless times. A significant turning point was a wireless communications course I took taught by a Technical Fellow from JPL. In this course, I discovered the deep connection between communications and more fundamental physics - the act of sending and receiving data in communications systems is indelibly tied to the barebones of electromagnetic theory and the behavior of naturally occurring noise sources. This immediate synergy made the subject matter more engaging and led me to explore signal processing, where I felt a satisfying and natural aptitude in transforming analog signals into digital formats.
That being said, my undergraduate years were marked by a struggle to find relevant internships, which made contextual learning difficult. However, once I focused on signal processing, I actively sought out professors who were not only academically proficient but also had practical industry experience. Engaging in hands-on lab work under their guidance was crucial in honing my skills and understanding practical applications.
Deciding to pursue a Master’s degree was driven by two factors: enhancing my attractiveness to potential employers and learning from high-caliber professors. A mentor suggested I consider SpaceX, which was then a relatively new player in the aerospace industry. Leveraging a personal connection, I connected with someone on SpaceX's RF team, which eventually led to my hiring in 2012 as a co-op while I was still completing my Master's degree. Joining SpaceX was transformative, showing me the nuance of multidisciplinary systems development and how each design choice affects the entire system. This experience has shaped my holistic engineering approach, particularly when it comes to identifying development tasks and milestones that have natural parallelism between them, and ones that are unavoidably serial - resource management (in all regards: people, compute needs, telemetry, etc) is imperative for the kind of work SpaceX does.
What have been your top career accomplishments so far?
Several significant projects stand out in my career, each underscoring the importance of teamwork and innovation.
What were the critical steps/choices that helped you get ahead?
One of my professors imparted three pieces of advice that have profoundly shaped my engineering philosophy: keep your talent happy, allow your team to learn new things within deadlines, and share credit generously. These principles have guided my interactions and decision-making throughout my career. Additionally, I’ve observed, and internalized (over a long time, truthfully) that being effective often trumps being right, particularly in a collaborative environment.
Initially, I approached technical discussions with an assumption that everyone shared my openness and technical humility. However, I soon realized that many people are more motivated by relevance and career advancement rather than by pure technical efficacy (something that I think any new, driven professional in STEM contends with). Once I truly understood, and accepted this paradigm, I began to navigate workplace dynamics more effectively: namely, asking questions that piqued interest rather than inadvertently putting peers on their backfoot and, at times, making them feel inadequate. I shifted my approach from asserting my feedback to being a supportive partner in problem-solving, which has helped me be more of a force for trust building and fostering a collaborative atmosphere in highly technical, high pressure situations. I am very grateful for how this shift has allowed my peers to feel safe and comfortable to solicit my feedback, even in their most stressful moments - mutual trust and investment in one another’s success really pays dividends (they get some help, and I get to learn about more interesting things going on in other people’s worlds)!
What part of your education had the most impact on your career?
Pursuing my master’s degree while working full-time at SpaceX was my most impactful educational experience. Balancing these responsibilities forced me to critically evaluate what grades really mean and how to gauge true understanding of a concept, without a lot of external validation. To this end, the practical application of coursework to real-world problems was invaluable, especially in the study of information theory because knowing what success and correctness should look like helped me evaluate my understanding and facility with the concepts I was exposed to. I would also say that simultaneous exposure to academia and industry enriched my learning experience and directly informed my work and engineering practices at SpaceX in equal measure.
What about your career have you enjoyed the most and least?
I’ve most enjoyed learning from colleagues who generously share their knowledge and blend rigorous engineering principles with practical insights. The dynamic problem-solving nature of engineering and the opportunity to innovate have been particularly fulfilling. On the downside, I’ve struggled with situations where biases and insecurities are disguised as technical feedback. The increasing pressure and sometimes harsh treatment of new talent in the hard-tech industry can be disheartening.
To address some of these challenges and sometimes unavoidable conflict, I adopt two strategies:
Where do you see the most promising career opportunities in the future?
I believe that the most promising career opportunities lie in nuclear energy, off-planet solar power farming, mobile energy generation/transfer, and biomedical sensor development for everyday use. These areas address fundamental issues of sustainability and health, which are critical as we continue to deplete our planet’s resources. While space exploration remains important, the urgent need to address terrestrial challenges takes precedence for me.
What advice/resources would you share with the next generation?
Teaching someone to fish does not diminish your capacity or value. Engaging in technical conversations with capable peers accelerates progress, especially when combined with meaningful testing and proof-of-concept milestones. Embrace collaboration and be open to learning from others, as this collective knowledge drives innovation and lasting success.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
First, thank you for this opportunity to be in the Space Talent Spotlight! I hope anyone reading this feels inspired to act with conscience and facility, with the aim to create lasting, impactful work. Remember that engineering is not just about solving problems; it’s about understanding the broader implications of your work and striving to make a positive difference.
Key Insights for Other Engineers:
1. Multidisciplinary Systems Development: Engineering is increasingly about integrating multiple disciplines to achieve sufficiently capable solutions - sometimes optimality is a red herring or ill-defined with respect to aspects of the system that are not known ahead of time. Understanding how different systems interact and affect one another can lead to more robust and innovative designs.
2. Holistic Design Approach: Every design choice impacts the entire system. Taking a holistic view ensures that all components work harmoniously, reducing the risk of unforeseen issues and improving overall system performance.
3. Collaboration Across Fields: Effective engineering often requires collaboration across different fields of expertise. Earnest engagement with experts from various disciplines can provide new perspectives and lead to breakthroughs that might not be possible within a single domain or institution.
