Michael Koch

Michael Koch has a diverse range of work experience spanning several industries and roles. Michael began their career as a Senior Engineer at David Taylor Research Center from 1984 to 1989. Michael then joined NASA Langley Research Center as a Senior Electronics Engineer, where they provided electronic and system design support for atmospheric research programs and aircraft data systems. During their time at NASA Langley Research Center, they contributed to the development of NASA's LIDAR In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE).

In 1997, Michael moved to GE Fanuc as a Senior Staff Electrical Engineer. Here, they were responsible for developing embedded CPU controllers and data bus communication modules for the industrial controls market. Michael ensured that the products met electrical, mechanical, and environmental standards required for UL, CE, and FCC marking.

Following their experience at GE Fanuc, Michael joined Barron Associates, Inc. as a Research Scientist in 2000. In this role, they provided engineering support for the company's research projects and product development efforts. Michael also created design specifications for systems conceptualized in SBIR or STTR proposals.

From 2001 to 2008, Michael worked at ADI Engineering, Inc. as a Senior Staff Engineer. Michael independently managed all technical aspects of assigned projects, collaborating with customers to define project requirements and develop system and/or board architectures to meet stated goals.

In 2008, Michael joined Neoventus Design Group as a Principal and Senior Design Engineer. Michael provided contract research and development services in the design and development of digital hardware systems, software and firmware development, and applied math.

In 2012, Michael returned to NASA Langley Research Center, this time as an Aerospace Engineer. Michael served as the avionics lead for NASA's Airspace Technology Demonstration 1 (ATD-1) project and also led a multidisciplinary team to mature NASA's Pairwise Trajectory Management concept. Michael later became the Deputy Project Manager for the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) instrument, which will measure the Earth's reflected solar energy with unprecedented accuracy.

Most recently, Michael joined Psionic Technologies in 2021 as the Principal Electronic Engineering Manager. In this role, they oversee the development and manufacturing of Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) instrumentation for aerospace, defense, and commercial industries, including applications such as space-based landing and docking systems and terrestrial and airborne navigation in GPS-starved environments.

Michael Koch attended Randolph-Macon College from 1978 to 1982, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. Michael then studied at Old Dominion University from 1983 to 1984, where their field of study was Electrical Engineering, although they did not complete a specific degree. Finally, Michael Koch pursued further education at The George Washington University from 1986 to 1989, obtaining a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.