russelltrahan.com

Russell received his BS, MS, and PhD from Texas A&M University under the supervision of Dr. David Hyland in Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in Dynamics, Controls, and Optics. His graduate research included space-borne optical interferometry, optimal control methods, system estimation, and computational methods for large degree-of-freedom real-time simulations.

Since 2015 he has worked at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the optics division's Advanced Optical Instruments group. Much of his research has focused on combining computational methods with optical system analyses to develop practical solutions to cutting edge computational problems. His experience with GPU computing ranges from 3D real-time graphics to massively paralleled scientific computations. He has about 15 years of experience with the OpenGL, OpenCL, CUDA, and DirectX GPU computing APIs. He has used these programming tools on several projects to deliver state-of-the-field computational throughputs and informative graphical outputs for simulations. He is also fluent with over 15 years of experience in C++, OpenMP, and several other languages and APIs used for CPU and GPU parallelization of scientific computing applications.

• Texas A&M University, College Station, TxPh.D. Aerospace Engineering, December 2014
  Dissertation Topic: The Phase Retrieval Problem and its Applications in Optics Download PDF
  Concentration: Dynamics and Control, Phase Retrieval applied to spaceborne intensity correlation imaging (ICI) and stellar occultation for asteroid characterization.
  Advisor: Dr. David Hyland
  Committee: Dr. Suman Chakravorty, Dr. Tom Pollock, Dr. Alexey Belyanin
• Texas A&M University, College Station, TxM.S. Aerospace Engineering, December 2012
  Thesis Topic: Phase Retrieval with Application to Intensity Correlation Interferometry Download PDF
  Concentration: Dynamics and Control, spaceborne Intensity Correlation Imaging (ICI)
  Advisor: Dr. David Hyland
• Texas A&M University, College Station, TxB.S. Aerospace Engineering, December 2010
  Honors: Designated as a Texas A&M Student Research Scholar. Download Thesis

• Planetary Science  | Planetary Defense
• Astrophysics and Space Science  | Exoplanet Discovery And Science
• Communication and Navigation  | RF And Optical Communications
• Sensors, Microdevices and Instruments  | Integrated Photonics, Direct/Coherent Detectors, And Arrays
• Sensors, Microdevices and Instruments  | Observatory Technologies
• Software, Modeling, Simulation, and Information Processing  | Flight, Ground, And Edge Computing
• Flight Computing and Avionics  | Advanced COTS Technologies

Publications

1. Micro-arcsecond Astrometry Technology: Detector and Field Distortion Calibration
   Michael Shao, Chengxing Zhai, Bijan Nemati, Inseob Hahn, Russell Trahan, Slava Turyshev
   Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 135, Number 1049, July 24, 2023.
   Paper, Abstract
2. Role of Topocentric Parallax in Near-Earth Object Initial Orbit Determination
   Chengxing Zhai, Michael Shao, Navtej S. Saini, Philip Choi, Russell Trahan, Kutay Nazli, Max Zhan, Nez Evans
   Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 134, Number 1031, January 31, 2022.
   Paper, Abstract
3. Joint Radio/Optical Observation of FRBs with Novel DSN Instrument
   Walid Majid, Michael Shao, Daniel Hoppe, Russell Trahan, Robert Preston, Makan Mohageg, Charles Naudet, Chengxing Zhai
   American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, Volume 55, Issue 2, (234.07pp), January 2023.
   Paper, Abstract
4. Performance Verification of the EXtreme PREcision Spectrograph
   Ryan Blackman, Debra Fischer, Colby Jurgenson, David Sawyer, Tyler M. McCracken, Andrew Szymkowiak, Ryan Petersburg, J. M. Joel Ong, John Brewer, Lily Zhao, Christopher Leet, Lars Buchhave, René Tronsgaard, Joe Llama, Travis Sawyer, Allen Davis, Samuel H. C. Cabot, Michael Shao, Russell Trahan, Bijan Nemati, Matteo Genoni, Giorgio Pariani, Marco Riva, Paul Fournier, Rafal Pawluczyk
   The Astronomical Journal, 159:238 (30pp), 2020 May.
   Paper, Abstract
5. Synthetic Tracking Using ZTF Deep Drilling Data Sets
   Chengxing Zhai, Quanzhi Ye, Michael Shao, Russell Trahan, Navtej S. Saini, Janice Shen, Thomas A. Prince, Eric C. Bellm, Matthew J. Graham, George Helou, Shrinivas R. Kulkarni, Thomas Kupfer, Russ R. Laher, Ashish Mahabal, Frank J. Masci, Ben Rusholme, Philippe Rosnet, David L. Shupe
   Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 132:064502 (8pp), 2020 June.
   Paper, Abstract
6. Accurate Near-Earth-Asteroid Astrometry using Synthetic Tracking and Applications
   Chengxing Zhai, Michael Shao, Navtej Saini, Russell Trahan, Philip Choi, and Kutay Nazli
   EPSC Abstracts, Vol. 13, EPSC-DPS2019-1267-2, 2019.
   Paper, Abstract
7. Synthetic Tracking on a Small Telescope
   Michael Shao, Russell Trahan, Chengxing Zhai, Navtej Saini, Slava Turyshev
   Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS) (2018).
   Paper, Presentation, Abstract
8. A Constellation of MicroSats to Search for NEOs
   Michael Shao, Hanying Zhou, Slava Turyshev, Chengxing Zhai, Navtej Saini, Russell Trahan
   Proc. SPIE 10769-20 (2018).
   Paper, Abstract
9. Optically-Coherent Image Formation and Denoising Using Plug and Play Inversion Framework
   Casey Pellizzari, Russell Trahan, Charles Bouman, Skip Williams, Stacie Williams, Michael Shao, Bijan Nemati, Hanying Zhou
   Applied Optics, Vol. 56, No. 16.
   Paper, Abstract
10. Synthetic Aperature LADAR: A Model-Based Approach
    Casey Pellizzari, Russell Trahan, Hanying Zhou, Skip Williams, Stacie Williams, Bijan Nemati, Michael Shao, Charles Bouman
    The IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging, Vol. PP, Issue 99 (2017).
    Paper, Abstract
11. Low-CNR inverse synthetic aperture LADAR imaging demonstration with atmospheric turbulence
    Russell Trahan, Bijan Nemati, Hanying Zhou, Michael Shao, Inseob Hahn, William Schulze
    Proc. SPIE 9846-14 (2016).
    Paper, Presentation, Abstract
12. Low-cost chirp linearization for long-range ISAL imaging application
    Hanying Zhou, Bijan Nemati, Michael Shao, Chengxing Zhai, William Schulze, Russell Trahan
    Proc. SPIE 9846-13 (2016).
    Paper, Presentation, Abstract
13. Mitigating the Effect of Noise in Iterative Projection Phase Retrieval
    Russell Trahan, David Hyland
    Proc. 2014 Imaging and Applied Optics: Optics and Photonics Congress (OPC). Seattle, WA. July 2014.
    Paper, Presentation
14. Phase Retrieval Applied to Stellar Occultation for Asteroid Characterization
    Russell Trahan, David Hyland
    Applied Optics, Vol. 53, Issue 15, pp. 3540-3547 (2014).
    Paper, Abstract
15. Phase Retrieval of Images Using Gaussian Radial Bases
    Russell Trahan, David Hyland
    Applied Optics, Vol. 52, Issue 36, pp. 8627-8633 (2013).
    Paper, Abstract
16. Mitigating the effect of noise in the hybrid input-output method of phase retrieval
    Russell Trahan, David Hyland
    Applied Optics, Vol. 52, Issue 13, pp. 3031-3037 (2013).
    Paper, Abstract
17. Equilibrium, Stability, and Dynamics of Rectangular Liquid-Filled Vessels
    Russell Trahan, Tamas Kalmar-Nagy
    Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics, Vol 6, October 2011.
    Paper, Abstract
18. Equilibrium and Stability of Rectangular Liquid-Filled Vessels
    Russell Trahan, Tamas Kalmar-Nagy
    Proc. 13th Nonlinear Vibrations, Dynamics and Multibody Systems Conference. Blacksburg, VA. May 2010.

Technical Presentations

• NEO Search Using a Cluster of Small Synthetic Tracking Telescopes
  Michael Shao, Russell Trahan, Chengxing Zhai, Navtej Saini, Leon Harding
  Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS): 50th Annual Meeting, Knoxville, Tennessee, October 21-26, 2018.
  Presentation, Abstract
• Laser Ranging with High Power CW Lasers
  Michael Shao, Slava Turyshev, Inseob Hahn, Russell Trahan
  The 15th International Workshop on Laser Ranging, Canberra, Australia, October 15-20, 2018.
  Presentation, Abstract
• NEO Search with Small Synthetic Tracking Telescopes
  Michael Shao, Chengxing Zhai, Russell Trahan, Navtej Saini
  231st AAS Meeting, Washington, DC, January 8-12, 2018.
  Presentation, Abstract
• High Precision Focal Plane Astrometry … and possibilities for the HDST
  Mike Shao, Bijan Nemati, Chengxing Zhai, Slava Turyshev, Russell Trahan.
  LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) in Pasadena, CA July 22, 2016.
  Presentation, Abstract
• Investigation into the Potential for Human Travel into Deep Space Using Current or Imminently Available Technology.
  AIAA Space 2014 conference, San Diego, CA. Presented on behalf of David Kanipe & Dr. David Hyland. August 2014.
  Presentation
• Phase Retrieval Applied to Asteroid Silhouette Characterization by Stellar Occultation.
  Primary science mission presenter for a feasibility study for a space-based stellar occultation mission to Team Xc at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. April 2014.
  Presentation

Conferences

• SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing, Baltimore, MD. April 2016.
• AIAA Space 2014, San Diego, CA. August 2014.
• Imaging and Applied Optics: Optics and Photonics Congress (OPC), Seattle, WA. July 2014
• International Symposium on Asteroid Mitigation & Exploration, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. April 2011
• Duke Vibrations Workshop, Duke University, Durham, NC. May 2010
• 13th Non-linear Vibrations, Dynamics, and Multibody Systems Conference, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. May 2010

Patents

• M. Shao, S. Rao, B. Nemati, N. Saini, R. Trahan, T. Werne, & C. Zhai, "Systems and Methods for Tracking Moving Objects." US Patent 10,301,041 B2, issued May 28, 2019. Download, Application