Career

I am an astronomer by training and passion.

My current position is Distinguished Professor of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a rising Carnegie R1 / Hispanic Serving Institution. Here, I am studying structure in large astronomical datasets, while facilitating the growth of the UTSA space technology & operations ecosystem. During the 2025 academic year, my formal teaching activity focuses on introducing relativistic and quantum phenomena to undergraduate students. My UTSA activities connect me to a broad range of talented scientists, engineers, and students.

Before joining UTSA, I had the privilege of collaborating with many of the leading scientists, engineers, and administrators from the global astronomical community. From those collaborations, I gained extensive experience leading mixed, multi-program teams of scientific, engineering, technical, and administrative personnel, often across multiple international sites.

Career summary (details: two-page resume)

2024—now   |  Director, Center for Space Technology & Operations Research (CSTOR)
2024—now   |  Affiliate Faculty Member, UTSA School of Data Science
2019—now   |  Distinguished Professor, UTSA Physics & Astronomy

2019—2024 |  Dean, UTSA College of Sciences
2008—2019 |  Director, National Optical Astronomy Observatory
2006—2008 |  Observatory Scientist, Thirty Meter Telescope Project
2000—2005 |  Deputy Division Head, Data Management & Operations, European Southern Observatory
1997—2000 |  Head, User Support Group, European Southern Observatory
1996—1997 |  Astronomer, US Gemini Project Office
1993—1995 |  Project Manager / Observatory Scientist, WIYN 3.5-m Telescope
1991—1993 |  Postdoctoral Fellow, Kitt Peak National Observatory

1984—1991 |  Astronomy Ph.D. student, U. of Michigan
1979—1984 |  Astronomy / Physics B.Sc. student, U. of Arizona

In 2024, I completed five years as Dean of the UTSA College of Sciences, where I was responsible for eight academic departments encompassing 300 faculty, approximately 100 administrative staff, and more than 5,800 students, with a $100 million annual operating and research budget.

From 2008 to 2019, I was Director of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the NSF's national observatory for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy and an NSF Federally Funded Research & Development Center. NOAO developed, built, and operated astronomical telescopes, instruments, and data systems in Arizona and Chile, with an annual budget of $35 million and 270 personnel. During my directorship, NOAO and its partners implemented the Community Science and Data Center (home of the Astro Data Lab), the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP), the Dark Energy Survey (DES), and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). In 2020, NOAO assets were merged into the NSF's National Optical Infrared Laboratory, NOIRLab; I co-led the team that developed the baseline concept and implementation plan approved by NSF, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of NOIRLab.

Prior to NOAO, I served at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Garching, Germany as Deputy Division Head of Data Management & Operations, leading a 100-person division responsible for science user support and data management across all ESO observatories. During that period, I also served as European Leader of the Joint ALMA Office Operations Working Group, co-leading the international team (USA, Europe, Japan) that developed the science operations plan for the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. I subsequently served as Observatory Scientist for the Thirty Meter Telescope, a multi-billion-dollar international project spanning Canada, China, India, Japan, and the United States.

Throughout my career, I have made significant contributions to the design, development, and operation of observatories, telescopes, focal-plane instruments, and data systems for American, European, and South American astronomical research communities. My technical experience is broadest regarding astronomical data acquisition, processing, visualization, management, and storage — spanning petascale data systems through to science archive operations.

My scientific research focuses on stellar populations, stellar spectral libraries, and observational studies of nearby galaxies, with contributions to major programs including DESI and the HST/STIS Next Generation Spectral Library. I am the author of 50 refereed publications (h-index = 25) and over 100 technical and conference contributions.

I have served on the boards of the Gemini Observatory, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Corporation, the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory, and the Southwest Research Institute Advisory Trustees. I have chaired or served on international review panels for the National Astronomy Observatory of Japan, Subaru Observatory, and multiple NSF Mathematics & Physical Sciences facilities, and participated in the NASEM Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics. I served as President of Division B (Technologies, Facilities & Data) of the International Astronomical Union (2013–2015), and currently serve on the Finance Committee of the American Astronomical Society.

I completed my professional training at the University of Arizona (B.Sc., Physics / Astronomy, 1979–1984) and the University of Michigan (Ph.D., Astronomy, 1984–1991).