Brian O'Connell received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2006. He then worked for Kollmorgen Electro/Optical as a mechanical engineer, developing periscopes and optrontic masts. In 2011, he returned to academia in pursuit of a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University. He aspires to become a professor of mechanical engineering after graduation to help advance the field and develop better engineers in the future.