About
Milky Way over Cerro Paranal, © ESO
I am a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where I created and currently direct the Center for Space Technology & Operations Research (CSTOR).
My research focuses on stars and stellar systems as tracers of galactic formation and evolution over the past 13 billion years, with particular emphasis on applying modern data science and machine learning techniques to large astronomical datasets from missions like Gaia, Rubin / LSST, DES, and DESI. I mentor undergraduate and graduate students in astronomy research projects and teach modern physics, introducing students to relativity and quantum physics. I am also affliated with the UTSA Center for Data Science. Previously, I served as Director of the NSF's National Optical Astronomy Observatory (2008-2019) and Dean of UTSA's College of Sciences (2019 - 2024). I have a long history of leading international teams in advancing astronomical discovery through innovative technology development.