Faculty Profiles

Dr. Wiley Larson received his doctorate from Texas A & M University in Space Systems in 1988. He is an experienced leader and internationally-recognized author and editor in space-related development, operations, education and training. Dr. Larson served in the Air Force as a GPS spacecraft engineer, spacecraft launch controller, flight test engineer, spacecraft program manager and associate professor of Astronautics. He is currently contributing to US space efforts by creating an integrated set of 18+ published books detailing “how to” design, develop, launch and operate space systems.

   In addition to directing the space system engineering program at Stevens, Dr. Larson is co-author, managing editor and program director of the joint NASA and DOD Space Technology Series at the United States Air Force Academy, CO, Department of Astronautics, a position he’s held for two decades. He leads efforts of 362 international authors and editors to develop a series of books and tools for space mission analysis and design, as well as space system engineering—payloads, spacecraft, launch systems, operations and infrastructure.

   Between 1994 and 2005, Dr. Larson co-founded and served as President of Teaching Science and Technology, Inc. (TSTI), a corporation devoted to education and training in astronautics, space systems, operations and technology. TSTI created national and international continuing education and training programs for 37 Government and industry organizations. The corporation delivered over 80 courses per year. During this time Professor Larson served as Program Director for the international space system-engineering master’s program, SpaceTech, with the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands. Dr. Larson also served as head of engineering for International Space University, Strasbourg, France, for two years.

   Dr. Larson continues to work with NASA, European Space Agency, French Space Agency, German Space Agency and over 10 national and international corporations as consultant, educator and mentor. He was certified as a major program manager within DOD. Dr. Larson is an active member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Randy Liefer, PhD

Dr. Randy Liefer is an Associate Fellow of AIAA with over 26 years of aerospace engineering experience. He has earned advanced degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Kansas. He has served as Division Chief and Deputy Head of the Department of Astronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and has been a member of the AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee. He is currently a Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, as well as a Visiting Professor at Delft Technical University in The Netherlands working in the SpaceTech Masters Program in Space Systems Engineering.

Peter McQuade, PhD

Peter McQuade has joined the SSE faculty as a Distinguished Service Professor in the Space Systems Engineering program. Dr. McQuade has thirty-one years experience in aeronautical/ astronautical engineering and operations research. His areas of expertise include: aircraft and spacecraft design, automatic control systems, aerodynamics (including experimental, theoretical, and Computational Fluid Dynamics--CFD), propulsion, thermodynamics, structures, astrodynamics, flight safety, aircraft icing analysis, operations analysis, modeling and simulation, high-energy laser weapon systems, and ballistic missile defense. McQuade has held previous positions at ManTech SRS Technologies, as Engineering Specialist, and at the USAF Academy Astronautics Department, as Associate Professor of Astronautics and Deputy Department Head for Labs and Research.

Roshanak Nilchiani, PhD

Dr. Roshanak Nilchiani has joined the faculty of the School of Systems and Enterprises in 2006. She received her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at MIT, where she worked on flexible space systems design, particularly for communications satellites and DARPA's Orbital Express program. During her time at MIT she also worked on projects related to JPL's Next Generation Mars Rover and Nuclear-powered missions to Mars. She has also served as a mission anaysis and design consultant to 4Frontiers, a commercial space exploration company aiming at commercial colonization of Mars, the moon and near earth asteroids.

At Stevens, Dr. Nilchiani is engaged in research n risk-based complex engineering systems design and critical infrastructure systems resilience, with particular focus on energy, transportation and telecommunications infrastructure. She has also engaged in resesarch on system of systems testing and evaluation, dynamics of disruptive technologies, systems and enterprise architecture.

Brian Sauser, PhD

Brian Sauser holds a B.S. from Texas A&M University in Agricultural Development with an emphasis in Horticulture Technology, a M.S. from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in Bioresource Engineering, and a Ph.D. from Stevens Institute of Technology in Project Management. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Systems & Enterprises at Stevens Institute of Technology. He teaches courses in Project Management of Complex Systems, Designing and Managing the Development Enterprise, and Systems Thinking. In addition, he is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Faculty Fellow, Editor-in-Chief of the Systems Research Forum, an Associate Editor of the IEEE Systems Journal, and the Associate Editor of the ICST Transactions on Systomics, Cybernetics, and e-Culture.

Jerry Sellers, PhD

Dr. Jerry Jon Sellers, author of Understanding Space: An Introduction to Astronautics, was the director of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Space Systems Research Center. He has over 24 years of space systems experience including Guidance & On-board Navigation Officer in Space Shuttle Mission Control; Assistant Professor of Astronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy; and Chief of Astronautics for the Air Force European Office of Aerospace Research & Development. He is currently a Visiting Reader for University of Surrey, Guildford, England, where he earned his doctorate. He is a co-editor for Applied Space Systems Engineering, an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and a member of the AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee.

Peter Swan, PhD

Dr. Peter Swan is an AIAA Fellow with over 40 years experience in both government and commercial space systems. He is a former faculty member at the U.S. Air Force Academy, spent 8 years at the USAF Space Division in Los Angeles as a spacecraft systems engineer and program manager, and worked with the Motorola space divisions for 10 years building the IRIDIUM space system. He was a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and is now a member of the Army Science Board. Pete is an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics, and an active player on Commission VI (Space and Society) while leading multiple international studies. Editor of Impact of Space Activities upon Society and Global Mobile Satellite Systems and co-author on Space Elevators, Systems Architecture. He has also authored a fun book on SCUBA diving entitled: Step Zero: Getting Started on a SCUBA Photo Trip.

Peter Van Wirt, PhD

Dr. Peter Van Wirt is a former Deputy Department Head for Labs and Research of the Department of Astronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is currently the Central Case Project Coach for the Technical University of Delft's Spacetech Masters Degree in Space Systems Engineering . He also instructs at the National Security Space Institute in Colorado Springs, CO and the Space Systems Engineering Program at Hoboken, NJ. He has served as a systems engineer/program manager for a variety of US Air Force engineering developments. Peter has over 22 years of aerospace engineering experience and over 10 years teaching experience. He earned his doctorate at the Utah State University.

James Voss, PhD

James Voss teaches in the Space Systems Engineering Program in the School of Systems and Enterprises at Stevens.

James Voss graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1972, and from the University of Colorado received a masters degree in 1974 and an Honorary Doctorate in 2000.

He is a retired Army Colonel. Jim served as an Infantryman in Germany, taught at West Point, attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and then worked as a flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base. After being assigned to the Johnson Space Center as an engineer in 1984, he was selected for the Astronaut Program in 1987.

Jim has flown on five space missions on three different spacecraft and has conducted 4 spacewalks, including the longest and shortest in history. After living on board the International Space Station for 163 days, his total time living and working in space is 202 days. While training in Russia as a back-up crewmember to the Russian space station Mir and ISS he became fluent in Russian and an expert on Russian space systems.

Jim’s last role with NASA was as the Deputy for Flight Operations in the Space Station Program Mission Integration and Operations Office. On retirement in 2003 he became Associate Dean of Engineering at Auburn University where he taught classes on human spacecraft design. In 2005, he assumed the role of Vice President for Space Exploration Systems at Transformational Space Corporation with responsiblity for the design and construction of human spacecraft. He then was the Vice President of Engineering for SpaceDev, Inc where he was the senior executive responsible for all the company engineering activities. With the acquisition of SpaceDev by Sierra Nevada Corporation in 2008, Jim’s role became Director of Advanced Programs, SNC Space Systems Group.

He likes flying and talking to the public about our Nation’s space program.