Chris Theisen graduated from the University of North Dakota (UND) with a B.S. (May 2003) and M.S. (May 2006) in Atmospheric Sciences. During his M.S. studies, he specialized in polarimetric radar meteorology with emphasis on cloud microphysics while also working as a weather forecaster for Meridian Environmental Technology, Inc. He then joined the faculty of the Atmospheric Science Department at UND (August 2006) as a temporary instructor of radar meteorology. In June of 2007, Mr. Theisen became a full-time staff member of the Regional Weather Information Center at UND. During this time, he worked heavily on UAS research topics including ground-based and airborne detect and avoid solutions, as well as cooperative airspace capabilities.As of January 2014, he assumed duties and responsibilities of the Director of Research and Development for the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site (NPUASTS) and joined full time with the NPUASTS in December 2018. He plays an active role in planning and overseeing research performed at the NPUASTS. He oversees a group of project managers and technology specialists that support project activities and deployments. He works closely with NPUASTS research partners and industry to perform research to safely integrate UAS into the NAS. Mr. Theisen has a solid knowledge base on UAS technologies, regulations, applications, and capabilities. He also has a strong background in radar meteorology including Doppler, polarimetric and phased array radar applications. His other areas of interest include radar weather applications, autonomous vehicle applications and technologies, airspace visualization systems, and sensor data fusion applications. Mr. Theisen leads and participates in research efforts regarding Detect and Avoid, cooperative airspace, UAS support infrastructure, UAS Traffic Management, Advanced Air Mobility, and other topics leading to integration of UAS into the NAS.