Alan Hylton Email & Phone Number

Washington, Dc, Us

Washington, Dc, Us

Greenbelt, Md, Us

I manage network loading studies for the Near Space Network (NSN), leading a team to ensure communications needs for current and upcoming missions are met. I also serve as the NSN Network Architect, and as such am responsible for integrating Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) into the NSN and leading quantum networking efforts.Principal Investigator - Networking Experiments for Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and ILLUMA-T:I define and oversee experiments for LCRD and ILLUMA-T, which unifies operator and networking groups across NASA centers. I am also actively involved in outreach events, mentoring Ph.D students, and publishing research to advance the field.I actively conduct research in networking, quantum networking, and free-space laser communications, and routinely publish and present research findings at conferences and universities.The best accomplishments are between mentoring the students and unifying the networking groups across NASA centers, working to overcoming barriers that preclude groups from working together.

Washington, Dc, Us

Secure Networks, System Integration & Test Branch (LCN), Research and Engineering DirectorateI created and led research teams and conducted pioneering research in networking and optical communications with an emphasis on performance optimization, modern and scalable architectures, and creating a viable path from research to operational software products.I mentored over 60 students over the years, spanning high school to doctoral levels (and faculty), across multiple disciplines including mathematics, electrical engineering, computer science, and physics.Lead - High-rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN):I created the HDTN project, growing it from tens-of-thousands of dollars to millions to become NASA's serious entry into the DTN implementation scene. I steered the research efforts, oversaw contracts with commercial partners, and led the project towards successful flight experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). I collaborated with standards bodies such as IETF and CCSDS.I performed two details, one at JPL and one at the US Army CERDEC; at JPL I contributed to DTN code, and at the Army I helped lead their DTN research effort. For my work I received recognition for leadership and performance in the form of an Army Performance Award.Technical Lead - Networking for Integrated Radio Optical Communications (iROC) Project:I functioned as the networking lead, implementing and administrating DTN for deep space (Mars) applications. The idea was to develop a networkign solution that made sense for Earth-to-Mars direct optical links; in particular, the networking solution would need to be as performant as the link so as to not be a bottleneck. Among my accomplishments were software, hardware, and networking simulations, which resulted in the Best Professional Research Paper award at the AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC) and prepared me to step up to HDTN.

I contributed as a research assistant in NASA Glenn's former Biosciences and Technology branch. I made contributions to two projects:Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS):Instrumental in advancing fNIRS, a non-invasive, portable, and cost-effective functional imaging method. My responsibilities were the development of processing software and mathematical frameworks, and this is where I began mentoring interns. Co-authored a notable journal article: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-8119(09)71413-2VESsel GENeration Analysis (VESGEN):VESGEN 2D quantifies vasculature for diverse biomedical applications. I conducted intricate image analyses, wrote image processing algorithms, and contributed to a co-authored journal article: https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.20862

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Mathematics

Masters, Mathematics

Bs, Mathematics