Rosie McCarthy is a graduate of The University of Tulsa and The University at Buffalo where she received her Masters in Business Administration. She has previously worked at Roswell park Cancer Center in the Information Technology department and most recently as a Data Analyst at The University of Buffalo for 8 years.

David Sudit has over 10 years of experience developing algorithms for a variety of defense projects. His focus has been on planning algorithms and data fusion to provide better situational awareness to actors (human or machine) in ISR missions with denied communication environments. He received his B.S. in Computer Engineering from Northwestern University, and his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Pennsylvania State University.

Yang Cheng's research interests are in the theory and applications of detection, estimation, navigation, and tracking. He has over ten years of experience analyzing and developing algorithms for spacecraft attitude estimation and space situational awareness. He earned his B.Eng., M.Eng., and Ph.D in Aerospace Enginering from Harbin Institute of Technology (China). He began his American journey in 2003 as a postdoc of Dr. John L. Crassidis's at the University at Buffalo. Before joining XA in 2023, he was an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Mississippi State University.

Bob has worked in the US Defense industry for 25 years building software for the Intelligence Community and DoD Service Branches. His work focuses on systems architecture, integration, hardening of applications, and customizing components to meet the challenges facing DoD customers in their respective problem spaces. Areas where he spends the most time include decision aids, databases, service oriented architecture, microservices, and creating robust deployments. He has extensive experience in multiple software languages and software frameworks. Prior to that, Bob worked in the Environmental Chemistry field for 11 years performing analyses using wet chemistry, GC, and GC/MS instrumentation. He has a BS degree from SUNY Buffalo in Chemistry, and a BS degree from SUNY Empire State College in Computer Science.

Meredith Wilmer transitioned to the private space sector in 2022 after serving in the Air Force and Space Force for 8 years. She served as a developmental engineer and program manager for various national security space programs, after which she was certified as the responsible engineer and propulsion chief for the Atlas V launch vehicle. Her research interests are focused in astrodynamics and space mission design, the complex dynamical environment of cislunar space and beyond, as well as spacecraft trajectory optimization and numerical algorithm development. She received her B.S. in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and her M.S. in the same from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Kevin McDonough has over 10 years of experience researching aerospace and defense problems. He received his bachelors, masters, and Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan where his focus was on stochastic and optimal control. Since then, he has worked on a variety of commercial and defense projects related to uncrewed systems, computer vision, and AI/ML. His research interests include AI/ML adaptation of optimal control solutions, computer vision, and predicting AI/ML performance based on training set characteristics.

Bryan Gentz has more than ten years in the defense industry, including eight years of active duty. He served as a Naval Flight Officer in the E-2C Hawkeye, supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve, and as an Operational Test Director overseeing C4I & Space acquisitions. Since 2020 he has been working in the private sector on defense research projects relating to System of System integration and ISR. He received his B.S. in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and is currently working on his Master of Applied Data Science at the University of Michigan.

Gabe Hribik recently transitioned into the software industry leaving the US military with over 10 years of active duty service in the Space Force and Air Force. In the Space Force he served as a Systems Engineer on a space control platform that successfully achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and worked with users to design and produce the follow-on block upgrade. While in the Air Force he served as a Test Engineer on the U-2, "Dragon Lady" and RQ-4, "Global Hawk" evaluating high-altitude C4ISR tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) as well as testing of hardware obsolescence solutions for continuous, worldwide operations and sustainment of both platforms. Currently holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from University of California, San Diego.

Kyle Esquerra transitioned into the software engineer industry leaving the US military after 5 years of active duty service in the Marine Corps. In the Marine Corps, he served as a Geospatial Intelligence Specialist with a deployment as the sole geospatial specialist to Afghanistan. Since leaving the military, he has received his B.S. in Computer Science from Oregon State University, and his M.S. in Computer Science from Portland State University.

Eli graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering before transitioning to a role in industry. After three years of working in the aerospace field, particularly on algorithm development for radar applications, he returned to school and recently graduated with an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. His general focus was on autonomous systems, with specific research interests related to decision making under uncertainty and probabilistic machine learning. He is especially enthused by applying these research interests to problems that are concerned with the physical world.

Joshua Schechter is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, equipped with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Computational Biology. He brings industry experience from his time as a data science intern at Healthy.io in Tel Aviv, Israel, and has also contributed to notable computational biology research within the Koes Drug Discovery Research Group at the University of Pittsburgh. Joshua's primary interest lies in software development, with a specific focus on data science and machine learning.

Nora Quillman is a research engineer with a B.S. in Structural Engineering from UC San Diego and a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from UI Urbana-Champaign. Her professional interests include modeling and simulation, composite materials, and machine learning. In her five years of experience working on DoD and DOE contracts, she has been involved in a wide variety of projects, with topics including geological carbon sequestration, solid rocket motors, and nuclear reactors.

Austin Bearden recently transitioned from healthcare into the space research and technology industry. He has spent over 5 years building customer facing front-end applications, working on projects ingesting large amounts of data to provide valuable insights to manufacturers and other healthcare providers. He enjoys learning about the latest front-end technologies and building modern, performant interfaces. He also spends his time cycling, doing hands on projects, and helping the next generation creatively shape the future. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Computer and Information Science from Purdue University.

Gavin Armstrong is a research engineer with an interest and focus in Guidance, Navigation, and Control. Gavin graduated with a B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering under the advisement of Dr. John Crassidis. Gavin's background focuses on dynamics, estimation, inertial navigation, and spacecraft. For the past six years Gavin has worked in the University at Buffalo Nanosatellite Laboratory and Advanced Navigation and Control Systems Laboratory before transitioning into the private sector.

Daniel Hader graduated from the University of Arkansas, finishing his undergraduate studies with both a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Mathematics, followed by a Ph.D. in Computer Science with research focused on self-assembly and formal systems. A self-proclaimed math and computer nerd, his interests include distributed computing, GPU and graphics programming, algorithmic complexity, combinatorics, and proof theory. In his free time, if he isn’t playing board games or out listening to live music, you’ll likely find him hiking the beautiful Ozarks.