Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2005
  • S.M., Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2001
  • B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois, Chicago, 1999
  • B.A., Ancient and Classical Languages, Philosophy, Wheaton College, 1995
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer, New York, #084129-01
Academic Appointments
  • Adjunct Professor, Hofstra University, 2008-2018
Professional Honors
  • 2004 IEEE Power Electronics Society Transactions Prize Paper Award (for the paper "Filters with Active Tuning for Power Applications")
  • 2003 William M. Portnoy Prize Paper Award (Awarded by the Power Electronics Devices and Components Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society)
Professional Affiliations
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (member)
  • Tau Beta Pi

Dr. Phinney's background is in electrical and electronic engineering, particularly related to power electronics, electromagnetics, and electromechanics. His specialties include power supplies, radio-frequency electronics, control systems, printed circuits, integrated-circuit packaging, magnetics design, and power transmission and distribution. 

Dr. Phinney has related experience in embedded software, acoustics, and numerical methods for optimization and simulation.

At Exponent, Dr. Phinney has assisted clients with identifying the root cause of failures in mobile electronic devices, industrial and automotive controllers, capacitors, transformers, amplifiers, and power supplies. He has testified in patent and trade secret litigation regarding computer hardware and software, audio circuitry, mobile telephones, tablets, power supplies, control systems, hard disk drives, and electronic instruments. In addition, Dr. Phinney has assisted clients with electromagnetic assessment issues pertaining to utility and communication infrastructure. These issues include permitting, interference, and environmental impact of radar, AC and HVDC transmission lines, substations, photovoltaic installations, generators, broadcast antennas, and electrified mass transit systems.

Dr. Phinney received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His doctoral work centered on miniaturization of power converters and electromechanical power conversion. He has related experience in radio-frequency electronics (particularly phase-locked loops and RF amplifiers), network synthesis, system identification, and control. Dr. Phinney is the co-inventor on patents for improving the performance of capacitors, EMI filters, and common-mode chokes.