Richard Focke
About Richard Focke
Richard Focke is a Lead Systems Engineer and Design Authority at Saab, where he has worked since 2020. He has extensive experience in signal processing and radar technology, holding a Ph.D. in Multistatic Radar Scheduling from the University of Cape Town.
Current Role at Saab
Richard Focke currently serves as the Lead Systems Engineer and Design Authority at Saab, a position he has held since 2020. He works in Ajban, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and leads a team of 22 engineers across various engineering disciplines. His responsibilities include overseeing the specification, design, development, and testing of radar products and research prototypes.
Previous Experience at Saab
Before his current role, Richard Focke worked at Saab as a Senior DSP Engineer from 2019 to 2020 for one year. During this time, he contributed to projects in Ajban, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, focusing on digital signal processing.
Educational Background
Richard Focke earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering from the University of Pretoria between 1999 and 2002. He furthered his education at the University of Cape Town, where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Multistatic Radar Scheduling from 2010 to 2012 and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in the same field from 2013 to 2015.
Career at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Richard Focke spent a significant portion of his career at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa. His roles included Firmware Engineer/Researcher from 2007 to 2011, Senior Firmware Engineer/Researcher from 2011 to 2019, and Systems Engineer from 2017 to 2019. His work involved signal processing on FPGAs, CPUs, and GPUs, and he was engaged in the development of radar products.
Technical Expertise
Richard Focke possesses expertise in real-time control using FPGAs and embedded microprocessors. His interests include radio-frequency electronics, signal processing, sensor fusion, and machine learning. He has experience leading teams in various engineering disciplines, including mechanical, digital circuits, and environmental specialty engineering.