Meet Our Speakers . . .



Michael Watkins is the Manager of the Navigation and Mission Design section at JPL, which is responsible for trajectory design and navigation NASA's deep space missions like MER and Cassini. He is also the Project Scientist for the GRACE Project, which is currently providing the best maps ever of the Earth's gravity
field. Previously, he managed the Tracking Systems and Applications section at JPL which develops hardware, software, and science applications for advanced tracking systems, including GPS, DDOR and others. Prior to coming to JPL, Dr. Watkins was a senior research
faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research, where he also received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. In his nonexistent spare time he enjoys playing tennis, reading, and collecting modern art