Open to opportunities

YOOFI ANNAN

Aircraft Engineer Product Manager Part 107 Holder SolidWorks CSWA

Cross-disciplinary technical professional bridging aerospace engineering, AI-enabled drone platforms, and emerging technologies to build life-saving logistics and next-generation systems.

View My Work Get In Touch
0
Years Experience
0
Safety Record
Yoofi Annan speaking at GTM at the Edge
Aircraft Systems Expert
FAA Part 107 Certified
Notre Dame M.S.
Yoofi Annan in San Francisco
About Me

Executive Summary

I am a cross-disciplinary technical professional with over 7 years of experience (2016–present) spanning aerospace engineering, aircraft systems, and cutting-edge technologies including autonomous AI drones, external data storage solutions, and Web3 communities.

My background spans commercial aviation, AI-enabled drone platforms, and logistics startups in underserved regions. While my formal roles have ranged from aircraft engineer to product management and AAM fellow, I have consistently taken on technical program management responsibilities—leading cross-functional teams, coordinating technical integration, and aligning execution with strategic goals.

I work seamlessly with both engineers and researchers, including professors, PhD students, and advanced technologists, to translate complex technical efforts into practical outcomes. I am passionate about using technology to improve lives.

8+
Years of Technical Experience
100%
Incident-Free Safety Record
98%
Operational Reliability
40+
Expert Interviews Conducted
Case Studies

Professional Experience

Yoofi Annan in aircraft cockpit at Africa World Airlines
Cockpit Operations: Systems Checks & Avionics Troubleshooting
Aircraft engine maintenance at night
Line Maintenance: Engine Inspection & Turnaround Service
Under-wing aircraft inspection
Airframe Inspection: Structural Integrity & Safety Compliance
CASE STUDY 01

Aircraft Engineer

Africa World Airlines
Accra, Ghana  ·  2018 — 2023

Avionics, Airframe & Power Plant — EMB 145

Scope & Impact

Oversaw safety-critical maintenance of commercial avionics, airframe & powerplant systems for a multi-aircraft fleet.

Achieved a 100% incident-free safety record and 98% operational reliability.

Coordinated compliance with civil aviation authority (GCAA) and ICAO regulations.

Led troubleshooting of complex flight control and electrical systems using approved diagnostic tools and manuals.

Yoofi Annan presenting Drone Response AI to stakeholders
CASE STUDY 02

Graduate Student Program & Product Manager

Drone Response AI — NASA & NSF Funded Research
Notre Dame, Indiana  ·  2023 — 2024

Graduate Capstone — University of Notre Dame

Scope & Impact

Spearheaded the commercialization of NASA/NSF-funded research, launching a Semi-Autonomous AI Drone Management Software venture.

Led cross-functional execution among Ph.D. researchers in AI, electrical, and computer engineering to deliver technical solutions for the energy and infrastructure market.

Achieved a 20% increase in early user adoption, refining product-market fit through continuous stakeholder feedback and usability testing.

Conducted technical market validation through 40+ structured interviews with domain experts across Energy, Infrastructure, and Drone Technology.

Developed and executed a full Product & Go-to-Market Strategy with IP strategy, commercial licensing, regulatory risk assessment, and financial projections.

Secured a pilot partner for MVP deployment in grid inspection operations within Energy & Infrastructure.

Field testing with emergency responders
Emergency Response Coordination
Integrating new equipment protocols
Equipment Integration
Weather Drone Build
Weather Drone Assembly
CASE STUDY 03

LaunchPad Fellow & Technical Research Engineer

LaunchPad Centre for Advanced Air Mobility — THETA
Tulsa, Oklahoma  ·  Summer 2024

Pseudo Chief of Staff to the Director

Scope & Impact

Built a weather drone designed for advanced air mobility data collection in Tulsa.

Functioned as a pseudo Chief of Staff to the Director, executing strategy by aligning program priorities with research, industry, and civic partners to accelerate AAM readiness.

Worked hand-in-hand with firefighters, emergency responders, and municipal teams to design drone applications for public safety and rapid incident response.

Coordinated across a diverse AAM industry consortium, facilitating collaboration between startups, academic researchers, and civic stakeholders.

Designed and assembled a drone platform used for system testing and safety procedure development.

Earned the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, enabling full participation in field testing and operational protocol design.

Mechanical Design at Notre Dame
04

Mechanical Design Engineer

University of Notre Dame
2023 - 2024

Scope & Impact

Assisted students, startups, and local businesses with 3D design and prototyping

Expertise in 3D printing, laser cutting, and assembly

SolidWorks CSWA certified for computer-aided design

More Experience

Innovation & Hackathons

Software Hackathons

5+ Hackathons Competed
  • Meta SensAI Hackademy SF — Won Best Entertainment Immersive Experience 🏆 Winner
  • Built Hygge — Ambience on Demand: AI-powered MR experience for spatial lighting design using Meta Quest 3, Unity, and hand tracking
  • Navi Aviation Hackathon — View on GitHub
  • Competed in 5+ hackathons spanning AI, aviation, XR, and software
  • Built functional prototypes under time-constrained environments
Side Projects

Personal Projects

🏆 Hackathon Winner

Hygge — Ambience on Demand

Won Best Entertainment Immersive Experience at Meta SensAI Hackademy SF. AI-powered MR experience that lets users step inside different lighting moods in their own room using passthrough MR on Meta Quest 3.

UnityMeta Quest 3Hand TrackingOpenAI
View on LinkedIn

GTM at the Edge

Community and live event series for frontier tech founders, operators, and investors in San Francisco. Monthly panels exploring distribution challenges at the edge of technology.

Visit Community

SwapFit AI

AI-powered fashion swapping platform built in collaboration with CoLab. Leverages machine learning to match users with personalized style recommendations.

View Project
Privacy Translator app screenshot

Privacy Translator

A privacy-focused application that scans your apps, identifies risky permissions, and translates complex privacy policies into clear, actionable alerts.

SoloLab — Guitar App

An interactive guitar learning application that helps musicians practice and master solo techniques through structured lessons and AI-powered feedback.

Try SoloLab
KindleForge app screenshot

KindleForge

AI-powered writing assistant for self-publishing on Amazon Kindle. Features genre-specific guidance, smart structure building, and launch preparation tools.

Education

Academic Background

2024
M.S. Engineering, Science & Technology Entrepreneurship
University of Notre Dame
Capstone: AI Drone Software Commercialization (NASA-funded) · STEM Innovation MBA
2016
B.S. Aerospace Engineering
KNUST, Ghana
Project: RC Fixed Wing Aircraft Design & Testing
Qualifications

Certifications & Skills

Collab Product Manager Certification

Cross-functional Product Leadership & Agile Execution

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate

Licensed for commercial sUAS operations

EWIS Certification

Electrical Wiring Interconnection System — Aircraft Safety

SolidWorks CSWA Certification

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

Human Factors Certification

Aviation Systems

Safety Management System (SMS)

Aviation Operations

Software & Tools

Jira Asana Trello Gantt Charts Power BI Microsoft Excel SolidWorks Workflow Design Process Optimization Resource Planning
Get In Touch

Let's Build Together

I'm always open to discussing new opportunities in aerospace, drone technology, product management, or any exciting technical challenge.

yoofiannan000@gmail.com (914) 396-4006
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
LinkedIn