What is your background?
My background is in physics and astronomy. I completed my B.S. in physics at Cal Poly Pomona and Ph.D. in physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester. As an undergraduate student, I did an internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory focusing on the analysis of astronomical data from the NEOWISE mission to determine the accuracy of asteroid diameters using post-cryogenic detector data. This project sparked my interest in detector physics, which led to my pursuing graduate studies at the University of Rochester. My thesis project involved collaborating with Teledyne to develop 15-micron cutoff HgCdTe detectors for future astronomy applications. As part of my thesis project, I modelled the dark current and characterized the devices to identify opportunities for performance optimization.
After I completed my PhD, I worked for five years at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as a contractor. I worked on the characterization of the Roman Space Telescope detectors (from Teledyne), and I served as the detector subject matter expert for the integration and testing team during the assembly of the Wide-Field Instrument. At the end of 2024, I joined Teledyne to work in my current role.
What kind of work are you involved in currently?
I am fortunate to be involved in an exciting variety of space- and ground-based projects for the European Space Agency, the European Southern Observatory, and several universities. The devices for these projects cover a broad range of applications including a developmental event-driven x-ray device and infrared devices ranging from near to long-wave infrared that will be used to investigate the role of dark matter in galaxy formation, planet formation, and studying small bodies in our solar system. It has been fascinating to learn about the science goals for the different projects and the role that our detectors will play in helping to achieve them.
How do you see the future of detectors developing?
Speaking about astronomy, each new project brings its own set of challenges. Scientists continue to push the boundaries of technology needed to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the universe. Teledyne continues to meet the challenge and remain at the forefront of detector development, from making smaller pixels to improve resolution, to expanding the overall size of the devices to provide a larger field-of-view, while not compromising the performance.
Where are you mainly based? In a clean room? An office?
Since starting at Teledyne six months ago, I have worked primarily in an office. I have also spent substantial time in the clean rooms and test labs with our production and growth teams to familiarize myself with the entire production process.
What do you enjoy most about working at Teledyne Space Imaging?
I have enjoyed continuing to work in detector development and apply my expertise to meet the challenges of diverse projects while building my knowledge of other stages of the process. I have equally enjoyed Teledyne’s collaborative environment and being part of a team that is innovative, dedicated, and passionate about what they do.
What are your hobbies?
In my spare time I enjoy woodworking. Much like at work, I like the process of interacting with the customer (my wife in this case!) to make a plan for the project, building, and delivering the final product.
