Nick Morris

My name is Nick Morris, and I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, with a minor in Engineering Management. During my undergraduate studies, I was an active member of the CU Boulder Formula SAE team, where I developed a strong interest in vehicle performance and applied engineering design.

After graduating, I joined HDR Engineering, Inc. as a Transmission and Distribution Engineer. Over the course of two years, I completed three full design cycles on utility distribution projects. My responsibilities spanned the entire project lifecycle, including initial fieldwork for scoping and data collection, power line modeling and design, formal design reviews, preparation of final construction deliverables, and leading pre-construction meetings. This role provided extensive experience in client communication, technical presentation, and design justification under real-world constraints.

I am currently a first-year graduate student at Clemson University, pursuing a Master of Science in Automotive Engineering at the CU-ICAR campus in Greenville, South Carolina. My graduate focus is vehicle performance, with a heavy emphasis on vehicle dynamics and stability. Alongside my coursework, I am a member of the Clemson Formula SAE team, where I evaluate vehicle compliance targets and analyze component contributions to overall compliance and performance variability through modeling and simulation.

I am also involved in Clemson’s Purple Garage student organization, where I serve as Treasurer. In this role, I manage the organization’s financial planning and budgeting while remaining actively engaged in hands-on technical projects. My contributions include work on previous Clemson Deep Orange vehicles, supporting static testing and engine tuning efforts.

In my free time, I enjoy staying active through recreational sports such as flag football, basketball, softball, and pickleball. I am a dedicated follower of Formula 1, drawn to it as one of the most extreme applications of engineering, where marginal gains on the order of tenths of a second drive immense technical effort and innovation. I am especially interested in how teams extract performance through detailed analysis, iteration, and strategic decision-making. I also spend time sim racing, using Assetto Corsa and MoTeC i2 to tune vehicle setups and analyze telemetry to refine my driving and setup approach. Beyond simulation, I enjoy working on my own car, performing routine maintenance and repairs including fluid services, brake work, and component troubleshooting.

My long-term aspiration is to pursue a career as a race engineer in motorsport. I am drawn to the role because it combines technical depth, data analysis, and close collaboration with the driver to guide vehicle setup and performance decisions. I am especially motivated by the challenge of translating telemetry and driver feedback into actionable changes, and by the rapid feedback loop where those decisions are validated directly through on-track performance.