Work
I joined SpaceX in 2016, before a single Starlink satellite existed. Over eight years I've contributed to every generation of spacecraft and helped build the software systems that now deliver internet to millions of people in the most remote places on Earth.
Leading the team responsible for safe, intelligent energy utilization across the entire Starlink fleet — treating thousands of satellites as a single system to maximize network performance while keeping space safety the top priority. Built the first-principles models of battery, thermal, solar, and electronics behavior that now define the sizing methodology for every new satellite generation. Three different Starlink and Direct to Cell vehicles have been designed to these specs, and none will be built without them.
Led the network software team through the critical early years of global service — designing the space laser inter-satellite link architecture, scaling real-time data-link scheduling across the constellation, and setting the technical foundation for the automated failover and reliability that Starlink is known for today. Also led the nine-month sprint to launch user service globally, and holds a patent for a beam scheduling architecture where the network maintains multiple live beam options per user terminal, allowing terminals to automatically switch around obstructions and connectivity issues without the user noticing.
Led vehicle software for the Starlink satellites: the state machine, star tracker, fault detection and recovery system, battery charging, and MPPT algorithms for the first Tintin and Starlink generations. Co-developed the automated PR testing process now used across the entire Starlink program.
Across these roles I've driven how Starlink develops software as much as what it builds — eliminating test-like-you-fly exceptions by unifying development and production environments, establishing automated pull-request testing with strict pre-merge requirements, and creating engineering cultures that prioritize speed without sacrificing safety.
Science
Before SpaceX I did my PhD in numerical relativity, simulating what happens when two black holes spiral together and merge. One of the central questions driving the work: what do merging black holes actually look like?
Visualizations of colliding black holes from my research group were featured at the 2017 Nobel Prize ceremony for the first detection of gravitational waves, are on permanent display in a 20-year Smithsonian exhibit, and informed the visual effects of the film Interstellar.
Explore the science →Outside of work
Writing
Occasional posts on math, programming, and whatever else catches my attention.
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