Deputy Director and Chief Technology Officer at Texas A&M University's George HW Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC). Oversee all technical aspects of research, development, and deliverables and set technology driven priorities for the BCDC. Associate Director, Human Factors at the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center. Holder of the Don Lummus ‘58 Professorship of Practice in Engineering, with appointments in the departments of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. Develops and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in aerospace human factors engineering; quantitative risk analysis and reliability engineering; system safety engineering; and resilient systems engineering. Research interests include spacecraft occupant protection, human-robot interaction, and the optimization of human performance and safety in engineered systems.

Direct systems engineering and research integration activities at Texas A&M’s Bush Combat Development Complex. Professor of Engineering Practice in Aerospace Engineering and Industrial & Systems Engineering. Research areas include aerospace human systems integration, spacecraft occupant protection, human-robot interaction, systems safety engineering, and reliability and risk management. Develop and teach courses in aerospace human factors engineering, quantitative risk assessment and reliability, systems safety engineering, aerospace systems engineering, and engineering management. Prominent speaker and consultant on topics including engineering leadership, safety and risk management of complex systems, human spaceflight, and space biomedical effects and spacecraft occupant protection.

Consultant for aerospace engineering and safety programs and projects. Prominent speaker on topics including engineering leadership, safety and risk management of complex systems, human spaceflight, and space biomedical effects and spacecraft occupant protection.

Led engineering and safety assessments and independent studies for NASA’s human spaceflight programs and projects. Collaborated with multidisciplinary engineering experts from NASA, U.S. government agencies, industry, and academia to develop and conduct aerospace systems engineering analysis, hardware/software testing, and data reviews. Identified and recommended innovative designs, methods, and processes improvements.

Directed team of 2000 civil servant and contractor engineers supporting NASA’s three human spaceflight programs with an annual operating budget of over $360 million. Provided oversight and integration of the Directorate’s technology development projects. Implemented a strategic plan ensuring alignment of the organization’s technical expertise and competencies with future human spaceflight goals and objectives.

Provided human factors engineering and domain expertise to assist in the development, testing, and evaluation of human-robotic systems interfaces for advanced robotic systems. Designed and developed crew station hardware and display software for the control of advanced robotic systems in microgravity conditions. Developed ground experiments, flight experiment proposals, and implementation plans for future generation human-robot systems.

Following the Space Shuttle Columbia accident in 2003, requested by senior NASA leadership to lead the Space Shuttle Program Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. Responsible for the safety, reliability, maintainability and quality assurance of Space Shuttle systems design, development, test, evaluation, and launch, on-orbit and return operations. Conducted technical safety analysis and mission assurance assessments to provide an independent evaluation of Space Shuttle systems engineering tests and analyses culminating in the safe return to flight of the Space Shuttle program in 2005.

Selected by NASA in January 1990, and completed the Astronaut Candidate Training Program in July 1991. Veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. Accrued 1000 hours in space as a mission specialist/flight engineer on Space Shuttle missions STS-57 in 1993; STS-70 in 1995; and STS-88, the first International Space Station assembly mission, in 1998; and STS-109, the fourth Hubble Space Telescope Servicing mission, in 2002. Technical assignments within the Astronaut Office included Chief of the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch; Chief of the Astronaut Office Payloads and Habitability Branch; Spacecraft Communicator (CAPCOM); and lead flight crew representative for crew safety and habitability equipment. Assisted with the development of hardware, software, and procedures for Space Shuttle and International Space Station robotic systems. Developed the Astronaut Office robotics training and evaluation program. Instructor Astronaut for ascent, entry, and space robotics operations. Managed the Johnson Space Center Habitability and Human Factors Office from 2002-2003 providing technical direction and management of programs, projects, and technologies relating to human factors engineering and crew station development for current and advanced spacecraft. Manager, Space Shuttle Safety and Mission Assurance from 2003-2005.

Flight engineer on the Shuttle Training Aircraft, a complex airborne simulator that modeled the flight characteristics of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Developed and conducted flight tests for software and hardware enhancements. Conducted astronaut training and Space Shuttle mission support flights.

Astronaut, Master Army Aviator, Standardization Instructor Pilot.