Faculty Leaders

CU Boulder’s leadership in aerospace begins with world-class, committed faculty dedicated to innovation in aerospace engineering, Earth and space sciences.

Aerospace

Waleed Abdalati

Professor, Geography

Waleed Abdalati, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), worked as a NASA scientist for 12 years and served as Chief Scientist from 2011-2012. Most recently, Dr. Abdalati chaired the Committee for the Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space.

Dan Baker

Professor, Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences

Dan Baker has served as director of LASP since 1994. He is a strong advocate for increasing awareness of the risk and impacts of space weather.

Penina Axelrad

Professor, Aerospace Engineering Sciences

Penina Axelrad is a leading expert in GPS technology for real-time satellite operations. Her research group at the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research primarily focuses on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) used for orbit determination, remote sensing and vehicle navigation.

Jack Burns

Professor, Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences

Jack Burns, a fellow of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, focuses on extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, supercomputer numerical simulations, space science and space exploration, and public policy issues in higher education and science.

Daniel Scheeres

Distinguished Professor, Aerospace Engineering Sciences

Daniel Scheeres is recognized for his pioneering work on the motion of bodies in strongly perturbed environments, such as near asteroids and comets. He is currently the leader of the radio science team on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which will collect samples from asteroid Bennu and return them to Earth.

Zoya Popovic

Distinguished Professor, Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering

Zoya Popovic played a critical role in partnering with Lockheed Martin Corporation to fund the Lockheed Martin Radio Frequency Space Systems Research Center, along with several academic programs.

Bruce Jakosky

Professor, Geological Sciences

Bruce Jakosky, principal investigator for the MAVEN mission and one of the world’s preeminent experts on the Martian atmosphere and astrobiology, is studying the potential for life on Mars and elsewhere in the universe, along with philosophical and societal issues in astrobiology.

Brian Argrow

Professor, Aerospace Engineering Sciences

Brian Argrow is the current Chair of the Ann and H. J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, the director of Integrated Remote and In Situ Sensing (IRISS), and founding director of the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (2004-2012).