Our Team - WATER BROS Desalination

Leadership

Landon Mackey

Senior Research & Development Electrical Engineer at Columbia Power Technologies, Inc.

Dr. Mackey’s professional experience began in the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, where he enlisted and served as a Nuclear Submarine Electrician for six years. In that time he qualified all senior watches as an electrician and continuing to qualify both reactor operations and mechanical watch stations. He also assisted the ship through an extensive overhaul period in which he coordinated activities and testing with shipyard entities. Following military service, he continued to hone his skills as an electrician and mechanic while directly interfacing with customers as an overhead crane technician for KoneCranes, Inc.

He completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at FREEDM at Systems Center at North Carolina State University in 2020. His internships at Ford Motor Company and ABB Corporate Research in Dätwill, Switzerland, provided him with hands-on testing and design experience in power electronics.

In 2020, Landon co-founded Water Bros Desal with Wes to compete in the Waves to Water Prize, earning a place in the DRINK stage finale. In November 2022, he joined C-Power as a Senior Research and Development Electrical Engineer, designing, testing, and validating their next-generation SeaRAY and StingRAY devices to bring autonomous ocean energy systems (AOPS) to market.

Wesley Williams

Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology at UNC Charlotte

Dr. Williams earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte respectively. He worked as a prototype design engineer in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a postdoctoral researcher at the NASA Center for Aviation Safety, prior to joining the faculty at UNC Charlotte.

As a professor in the College of Engineering, he teaches courses in the areas of machine design, instrumentation, and system dynamics. His research interests include mechanical design and simulation, manufacturing, and industrial automation. His recent projects have included developing magnetic gears for wind and marine energy applications. I’m the marine energy space, he serves on the University Marine Energy Research Community Board as well as the US Shadow Committee to TC 114 MT-2, focused on international standards for Marine Energy Design. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of North Carolina and is a regular volunteer in the NC FIRST Robotics competitions.