Alen is a veteran software engineer specializing in real-time, fault-tolerant embedded systems for the Aerospace and Defense industry. A 2002 summa cum laude graduate of UCLA in Computer Science and Engineering, Alen was honored with the CS Department’s Outstanding Bachelor of Science Degree Award. He began his professional career at the Ocean Systems division of L-3 Communications (now L3Harris Technologies), developing software for various sonar systems. He later earned an MS in Computer Science with a specialty in Software Engineering from USC while continuing his career at L-3 – a feat for which he continues to receive friendly flak from his UCLA
classmates.

In 2008, Alen joined a then-little-known company named SpaceX during its foundational years. Over a 13-year tenure, he contributed to the initial Falcon 9 rocket and every iteration of the Dragon spacecraft, notably serving as the Software Lead for the Dragon 2 Cargo capsule. Alen left SpaceX in 2021 to seek a more balanced lifestyle and has since served in consulting roles for Varda Space Industries and several startups founded by SpaceX alumni. In an effort to give back, Alen has mentored UCLA students through the Alumni Mentor Program since 2021 – an experience he finds extremely rewarding. When not at his desk, Alen can be found outdoors with a camera in his hand, attempting to capture the beauty that nature has to offer.