The core of the Nautilus team is based at The University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences and Departments of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences. Additional expertise is provided by team members at Northrop-Grumman and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Â Our team combines experts in astrophysics and observational astronomy, planetary sciences, innovative optical design, optical fabrication, and optical surface metrology.
Daniel Apai
Nautilus PI
Professor of Astronomy, Planetary Science, and Optical Sciences at The University of Arizona. Expert on extrasolar planets, astrobiology.
Tom Milster
Optical Design and Fabrication Lead
Professor of Optical Sciences and Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Arizona. Expert on optics of high-performance optical systems and diffractive optics.
Daewook Kim
Alignment and Integration Lead
Professor of Optical Science and Astronomy at The University of Arizona. Expert on large optics metrology and alignment.
Jon Arenberg
System Architecture
Chief Space Science Mission Engineer at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.
Marcos Esparza
Optomechanical Design
Former co-founder of ACME company. Early staff at XYZ. Loves coffee & morning runs.
Youngsik Kim
Optical Design
Former co-founder of ACME company. Early staff at XYZ. Loves coffee & morning runs.
Benjamin Rackham
Science Team
Research scientist at MIT and expert on exoplanet science.
Ilaria Pascucci
Science Team
Former co-founder of ACME company. Early staff at XYZ. Loves coffee & morning runs.
Kevin Wagner
Science Team
Assistant Research Professor at University of Arizona and expert on exoplanet science.
Noah Tuchow
Science Team
Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, focused on science case simulation for Nautilus. Specialization in comparative planetology and exoplanet host star characterization.
Chia-Lung Lin
Content Strategist
Former co-founder of ACME company. Early staff at XYZ. Loves coffee & morning runs.
Andre Wong
System Engineer
Principal Systems Engineer and Deputy Director of University of Arizona’s Imaging Technology Center. Expert in space systems and detector technology.
Julien de Wit
Science Team
Associate professor at MIT. Expert on exoplanet atmospheres and planetary defense.
Cat Merrill
Project Manager
Director of space telescope projects at University of Arizona.