I am an electrical engineer responsible for the design and development of electronic systems on the KAO. I started my career in 1986 after I graduated with a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University. I am currently pursuing my second Master's degree at Santa Clara University. My degree will be in Engineering Management. On the KAO, I am a project engineer responsible for the design, development and installation of electronic systems. For the past nine months I have been working on the design of Consoles and Electronic Systems for SOFIA which is the next generation Infrared Airborne Observatory.

My interest in NASA began when I was given the opportunity in graduate school to work on a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project. The project involved the feasibility of an acoustic detector that could be placed on an astronaut's helmet to detect the different cosmic particles the astronaut would encounter in space.

The best thing about my job is that I get to design and integrate different electrical and electronic systems on the KAO. Unlike the industry where you perform the design and upgrades on a single product.

As a kid I was very interested in space, UFOs and the planet Mars held a particular fascination for me. I used to build toy planes and toy cars powered with rubber bands. Early in my life, I realised that Math, Physics and Chemistry were easy to understand. I had a difficult time with Botany, Zoology and I hated dissecting animals in class. I had a proclivity towards engineering science and as a child had a propensity to read more space fiction material than text books. The classic book "From Earth to the Moon" was my favorite.

My parents always knew that I would be an engineer. My parents, both doctors, and my elder brother (also a doctor) were very much a part of my decision making. I took the GRE examination (very similar to the SAT examination) and as a result was accepted into several graduate programs in the US. I chose Northwestern University because I wanted to stay close to my aging parents.

I am married and have two children. My daughter, Anika, is 2 1/2 years old and my son Kelsen is 3 months old. Anika has visited the KAO several times and insists on playing with the computers. I play cricket for recreation. This is a game similar to baseball and is played by most commonwealth countries. I enjoy tennis, football and travel to foreign countries.