Aeronautics and Defense Division

The Aeronautics and Defense Division supports the research and development of hypersonic, missile, and uncrewed aerial systems technologies. The division assists support the U.S. Space Force’s Space Superiority domain through innovation in Space Domain Awareness and Space Access & Sustainment. Joel Quintana, Ph.D., is the division lead engineer.

Quintana earned his undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees from UTEP. Before joining the faculty, he served as a postdoctoral fellow with the Aerospace Center (known at the time as cSETR. In 2018 joined the aerospace center as an assistant research professor. Quintana is a first-generation Mexican-American citizen, second in his extended family to earn a college degree and the first and only family member to have earned an advanced degree.