Divisions

The Aerospace Center, led by Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri, is organized into four divisions that work together to advance our mission and reach our goals. We have three research divisions and one focused on economic development and workforce excellence. A strong administrative team supports the divisions.

The Space Division, led by Dr. Md Mahamudur Rahman, supports NASA's Artemis program and Moon to Mars vision by focusing on strategic capabilities in propulsion and robotic lander, lunar surface habitation, and exploration, and small spacecraft technologies.

The Aeronautics and Defense Division, led by Dr. Joel Quintana, supports the research and development of hypersonic, missile, and unmanned aerial systems technologies. We support the U.S. Space Force's Space Superiority domain through innovation in Space Domain Awareness and Space Access & Sustainment.

The Energy and Sustainability Division, led by Dr. Jack Chessa, provides capabilities in sub-pilot scale to commercial scale fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy technology development; prototype to commercial product demonstration as well as test and evaluation.

Economic Development and Workforce Excellence Division, led by Susie Byrd, supports the development of an advanced and technology-based industrial economy for El Paso and West Texas and an integrated workforce with an all-skills spectrum for small and medium high-tech business expansion.