Dana Bourke

About Dana Bourke

I’m an audio systems architect with 40 years of experience designing, validating, and delivering audio technologies for consumer, professional, and gaming products. My background spans microphone arrays, MEMS transducers, loudspeakers, spatial audio, acoustic simulation, digital audio recording and editing, and end‑to‑end capture/render signal chains. I’ve built multiple electroacoustic labs, deployed production test systems at scale, and introduced simulation‑driven design workflows that significantly reduced development cycles and improved product reliability.My career includes leading audio architecture for global hardware platforms, building and tuning beamforming arrays, qualifying manufacturing test systems across international CMs, and partnering closely with cross‑functional engineering teams to bring complex audio systems to market. I’m equally comfortable architecting at the system level, digging into measurement data, debugging system problems, benchmarking new transducers, building things on the bench, or validating algorithms like beamforming and ANC.At the core, I’m a lifelong audio engineer with a genuine passion for sound, recording, and the emerging possibilities of spatial audio. I enjoy solving difficult acoustic challenges, driving clarity in system design, and helping teams deliver stand-out audio experiences.

Experience

1. Principal Field Applications Engineer

   Xmems

   Feb 2023 — Present · Santa Clara, CA, US

   As Principal Field Applications Engineer, I played a central role in accelerating customer adoption of xMEMS loudspeakers and thermal devices. I evaluated customer requirements, built prototypes, executed benchmarking tests, delivered detailed technical reports, and provided hands on guidance throughout complex integration cycles. To support this work, I led internal acoustic simulation efforts using LPM and FEM (COMSOL) to identify failure modes and develop innovative integration solutions. These efforts were strengthened by an electroacoustic prototyping and measurement lab that I independently built and funded. This lab eased the load on engineering resources at our Santa Clara headquarters, shortened support response times, and improved knowledge flow between engineering and field support.I also prototyped the industry’s first active headphone ventilation system, using xMEMS μCooling devices to address thermal discomfort during long duration headset use across markets such as gaming, aviation, military, and EMS. The system rapidly normalized earcup humidity with low power draw and controllable noise within a small package, directly improving user comfort while introducing a new product differentiation opportunity in an otherwise crowded category. I also used my professional network to secure two Tier 1 customers for xMEMS and participated in strategic on site sales and partner engagements, expanding the company’s market reach and demonstrating effectiveness across both technical and customer facing responsibilities

Education

• Virginia Tech

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Electrical and Electronics Engineering

  1981 — 1986

Skills

• System Design
• Audio Engineering
• Debugging
• Electronics
• Embedded Software
• Embedded Systems
• Software Project Management
• Consumer Electronics
• Test Engineering
• Testing
• Hardware Architecture
• Sound
• Digital Signal Processors
• Project Management
• Systems Design
• Software Development