• Lead a multidisciplinary research team to pursue and develop an alternative electrochemical-driven approach to significantly increase the recovery of breathing O2 from metabolic CO2 at the International Space Station (ISS) and future long-duration missions beyond low earth orbit. Significant breakthroughs were achieved in different features of the process, including the in-house implementation of novel cathode and anode configurations, the development of a new catalyst to reduce CO2 to solid carbon at ambient temperature electrochemically, the design and deployment of a comprehensive digital twin of the electrochemical reactor to perform qualitative analysis and optimize its design, and the evaluation of different electrolyte alternatives and the effect of temperature.• Designed and implemented a novel molten regolith electrolysis (MRE) approach to extract O2 and metals/alloys from lunar regolith without terrestrial precursors via an electrochemical process coupled with upward melt migration due to the Marangoni effect observed and documented in previous work. • Conceived and proved a groundbreaking alternative sintering process that compacts loose particles into a remarkably hard solid without melting them. It overcomes still-unsolved obstacles in fabricating via sintering crucial ceramic membranes, such as the proton-conducting BZY that reduces the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and the solid oxide electrochemical (SOEC) process.• Implemented a comprehensive digital twin of a packed reactor to perform a complete kinetics study of all three Series Bosch (S-Bosch) reactions, reverse water-shift (RWS), hydrogenation, and Boudouard reactions. NASA is considering the S-Bosch system as it can potentially recover 100% of O2 from metabolic CO2 at the ISS.

• Designed and implemented a multi-threaded software application to simulate all units supplying D.C. power to NASA KSC ground operative tasks at the Space Launch System (SLS). The software application emulates the concurrent operation of each VDC power supply unit with redundant Programming Logic Controllers (PLCs). This software simulation earned an Honorable mention in the 2017 Best of NASA Kennedy Space Center Software Award. • Conducted modeling and experimental research work for the In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) program implemented by NASA to establish, evaluate, and assess the utilization of in-situ resources available on the moon, Mars, and beyond. ISRU modeling and simulation work includes multiphysics modeling on diverse ISRU processes, and ISRU experimental research work consists of a) Electrolytic water purification, b) Production of fertilizer and commodities from urine-based wastewater via electrodialysis, c) Fabrication of electrodes that yield efficient water electrolysis, and d) Production of metals and gaseous oxygen from extraterrestrial regolith via fractional distillation. • Developed various novel adaptive image processing algorithms based on fuzzy reasoning and applied them to edge detection, image binarization, and image segmentation. Three patents on these techniques were granted to NASA and licensed to companies in various image analysis fields. A software based on these techniques and developed to detect moving debris during the Space Shuttle liftoff process was rewarded with the 2005 Best NASA KSC Software of the Year Award and earned Honorable Mention in the 2005 NASA Software of the Year Competition. • Implemented a general real-time visual anomaly detection system prototype via computational intelligence (fuzzy logic, artificial neural network, and genetic algorithm) at NASA KSC to visually detect anomalies along slide basket cables utilized by the astronauts to evacuate the Space Shuttle launch pad in an emergency.

• Managed implementation and commissioning of automation, data acquisition, and satellite-based SCADA systems for three 200-MMSCFD natural gas compression stations located along a 1,600-mile gas pipeline. These three stations were at that time the largest and best automated natural gas compression gas stations in Colombia. Automation and control systems were implemented in record time saving 15% of the original budget. • Designed and implemented a novel fuzzy logic PC-based system to enhance and optimize the operation of a 200,000-BPD oil-based pumping station. Operation shutdowns and mechanical failures were reduced by 90%. • Designed and implemented a unique embedded fuzzy logic control system to control and optimize 34-MW crude-based power generation. The system maximizes the existing power generation in 15% at any ambient and operation conditions and infers imminent engine mechanical failures.

• Designed and implemented dynamic computer simulation programs for Temperature and Pressure Swing Adsorption (TSA, PSA) that have been used worldwide by engineers to perform process optimization, decreasing energy consumption by 15%. • Developed software applications to automate and control real-time processes such as a gas flammability test unit, a flame gas diffusion studies, commercial gas purifiers, and chemical pilot plants. • Developed a computer application to predict accurate gas mixtures for cylinder filling. Process performance of filling shielding gas mixtures was improved by 16%. The application is used worldwide and recognized as a key element in the gas filling industry. • Performed optimization studies and sensitivity analyses on various chemical processes via commercial steady state computer simulators. • Built software modules to support the development of an expert system for scheduling optimization of gas cylinder truck fleet routing. Delivery schedule was improved by 23% and customer runouts were eliminated. • Implemented a computer application to assist process engineers in designing commercial O2 PSA plants. The program is intensively used worldwide as a process design tool. • Formulated mathematical models to predict the adsorption mechanisms of gases on Carbon Molecular Sieve (CMS). The proposed mathematical model has been adopted by most of the adsorption researchers and is widely quoted in the literature.