Frances Zhu earned her B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University, Ithaca in 2014 and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at Cornell in 2019. Dr. Zhu was a NASA Space Technology Research Fellow. Since 2020, she has been an assistant research professor with the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at University of Hawaii, specializing in machine learning, dynamics, systems, and controls engineering. She is also the deputy director for the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium and graduate cooperating faculty with the following departments: mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and earth science.

Miguel Nunes is an Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) and Deputy Director of the Hawaiʻi Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL). Miguel received his Aerospace Engineering Degree from the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal, and his Masters and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Miguel has worked as an engineer for HSFL since 2009 on small satellite mission development with applications to science instrumentation, such as the NASA HyTI mission, where he currently serves as the Systems Engineer and Deputy PI. For his Ph.D. research, Miguel developed a Multi-Agent Robotic System (MARS) for distributed space missions. He is the main lead for the research and development of the Satellite Testing Facility and a co-inventor of the the Comprehensive Open-architecture Solution for Mission Operations System (COSMOS, https://github.com/hsfl/cosmos).

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineer, Ph.D.
Assistant Researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology
Deputy Director of HSFL

Eric received his B.A. in Astrophysics from Williams College in 1982. He then received an M.S. in Astronomy from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 1985, after which he went to work for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility as a Systems Programmer. He transferred to the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology in 1997, where he has worked since as a Software Engineer. In 2007 he joined in collaborating with the Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory, where he is now their Lead Software Engineer.

Yosef is an Affiliate Faculty at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) and serves as the Operations Manager at HSFL. He grew up on Maui, and earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) in 2017. During his undergraduate studies, Yosef collaborated with HSFL on his Senior Design Capstone Project, which led to his recruitment as a mechanical engineer. In this role, he supported the integration and testing of the Neutron-1 3U CubeSat. As his career progressed, Yosef took on project management responsibilities for various projects and served as the project engineer for the HyTI 6U CubeSat mission. In 2022, he completed an Executive MBA from the Shidler College of Business at UHM. Following this, Yosef transitioned into his current role as Operations Manager and a member of the HSFL Executive Committee, helping guide the lab’s strategic direction.

Affiliate Faculty, HIGP

Operations Manager, HSFL

Amber Imai-Hong has been working for the Hawai`i Space Flight Laboratory as an Avionics Engineer and Outreach Specialist since 2012, and was a student assistant since 2008. While earning her Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Amber was involved with a student-based SmallSat group for 3.5 years doing research and development with microprocessors and power distribution, as well as the team’s Assistant Project Manager for the NanoSat-6 Project Hoʻoponopono. She has participated in over 15 orbital and suborbital projects, as well as mentored high powered rocketry and other senior design teams. Amber’s roles include electronic design, environmental testing, project management, and STEM Outreach.

Undergraduate at UHM studying Aerospace Engineering.

Chris is an Electrical Engineering master’s student at the University of Hawai’i. He works on the Artemis CubeSat Kit as a Systems Engineer. Chris helps develop electrical and mechanical hardware in our 1U CubeSat to ensure they are easy to use for end users of all skill levels.  Chris’s current goals are to help bridge the gap in the aerospace industry, allowing an easier transition into the industry while also gaining experience in the field to help further his career.