Faculty Directory

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018 (Space Systems)
• S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015 (Aero/Astro)
• S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013 (Aero/Astro, Physics)

BACKGROUND

• Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park, Department of Aerospace Engineering (2024 - present)
• Technical Staff, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Space Systems and Technology Division (2018 - 2024)

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Silver Achievement Medal, NASA, 2019
• Amelia Earhart Fellowship, Zonta International, 2017
• Graduate Research Fellowship, NSF, 2014 - 2017
• Paper Award, Small Satellite Conference, 2014, 2015

Remote sensing methodology and architecture for a wide range of space applications, including:

• Space Situational Awareness
• Planetary Defense
• Planetary Science and Exploration

SELECT REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

• Nguyen, T., Woods, D., Rupretch, J., Birge, J. (2024). Efficient search and detection of faint moving objects in optical image data. The Astronomical Journal.
• Nguyen, T., Morgan, E., Vanderspek, R., Levine, A., Kephart, M., Francis, J., ... Ricker Jr, G. (2018). Fine-pointing performance and corresponding photometric precision of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems, 4(4), 047001.
• Nguyen, T., Cahoy, K., Marinan, A. (2018). Attitude determination for small satellites with infrared Earth horizon sensors. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 55(6), 1466-1475.
• Nguyen, T., Pankratius, V., Eckman, L., Seager, S. (2018). Computer-aided discovery of debris disk candidates: A case study using the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) catalog. Astronomy and Computing, 23, 72-82.
• Nguyen, T. , Cahoy, K. (2015). Laser beacon tracking for high-accuracy attitude determination. 29th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites.
• Nguyen, T. , Riesing, K., Kingsbury, R., Cahoy, K. (2015). Development of a pointing, acquisition, and tracking system for a CubeSat optical communication module. In Free-Space Laser Communication and Atmospheric Propagation XXVII (Vol. 9354, p. 93540O). International Society for Optics and Photonics.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES

• Kingsbury, R. W., Riesing, K. M., Cahoy, K. L., Nguyen, T., Caplan, D. O. (2020). Free-space optical communication module for small satellites U.S. Patent No. 10,530,478. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
• Nguyen, T. , Cahoy, K. L., Quadrino, M. K. (2017). Attitude determination using infrared earth horizon sensors U.S. Patent No. 9,809,328. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.