About

Physicist and systems engineer with 10+ years advancing sensing, imaging, and autonomous systems for national security missions. Equally effective in the lab and in the boardroom—from hands-on experimentation and systems architecture to program leadership and executive briefings. Recognized for tackling ambiguous, cross-disciplinary hardware/software problems and translating complex technical work into mission impact and business growth.

Areas of Expertise

Autonomous Systems Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Highly Performant Code Cloud Computing (AWS EC2, S3, SQS) Data Analysis & Visualization Computer Vision (OpenCV) Software Design & Engineering Computer/Device Interfacing (ROS2) Presentations & Public Speaking Scientific & Technical Writing

Work Experience

Principal Scientific Director at Ancora Collective

Scientific Consulting
May 2025 – May 2026
  • Led systems engineering and analysis for complex, multi-disciplinary technical programs, translating stakeholder requirements into system architectures and design solutions
  • Served as technical lead and subject-matter expert interfacing between scientific/engineering teams and non-technical stakeholders
  • Advised on system design trade-offs and technology strategy, integrating insights from emerging technologies into national security decision-making

Solutions Lead Senior Principal at MITRE

Systems Engineering
Apr 2024 – May 2025
  • Secured multi-million-dollar ONR funding by identifying a sponsor capability gap, shaping the technical solution, and leading the project through MITRE’s innovation pipeline from concept validation to funded program
  • Pioneered a trajectory-prediction capability using LLM architectures, leading development from novel research concept to a live demonstration for a government sponsor
  • Generated two patent applications from portfolio research, translating emerging technology into protectable intellectual property for national security applications

Chief Scientist of EO Remote Sensing and Imaging at GDIT

Machine Learning & Computer Vision ATR
Mar 2023 – Apr 2024
  • Served as the technical authority on the development of automated ATR and anomaly-detection algorithms for large geospatial imagery datasets
  • Transitioned prototype computer-vision algorithms into the production code base, defining performance metrics and evaluation processes used to validate capability under operational conditions
  • Briefed customers on AI/ML integration with EO/IR sensing and supported technical proposals that expanded expanded contract scope

Lead Computational Imaging Scientist at MITRE

Rapid Prototyping
Jan 2020 – Mar 2023
  • Through-wall radar sensing and tracking
  • LIDAR-based obstacle avoidance for autonomous mine-clearing vehicles
  • Non-contact biometric collection

Research Physicist at U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Computational Optics, Sensing, and Imaging
Feb 2017 – Jan 2020
  • Adaptive Optics (AO) simulation in extended volume turbulence
  • Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image analysis and anomaly detection onboard autonomous systems
  • Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) beams for underwater communications
  • Structured illumination for night vision applications
  • Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) imaging using speckle correlations
  • Holographic imaging through fog and turbid water

Research Assistant at University of Colorado at Boulder

Lensless High-Resolution Imaging with Extreme Ultraviolet Light
Aug 2010 – Dec 2016
  • Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) light generation using the high-harmonic process
  • High-resolution Coherent Diffraction Imaging (CDI)
  • Pump-probe stroboscopic experiments

Internship at Lawrence Livermore National Lab

Department of Homeland Security Summer Program
Jun 2012 – Aug 2012
  • Hardware assembly for Free-Electron Laser (FEL) experiments
  • Data analysis and visualization

Education

Dec 2016
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics, The University of Colorado at Boulder
Received dissertation award from the American Physical Society
May 2010
Bachelor of Arts in Physics, The University of Colorado at Boulder
Graduated with summa cum laude honors

Awards, Fellowships & Scholarships