Marcos van Dam: CURRICULUM VITAE

Relevant Work Experience

Adaptive optics scientist, W.M. Keck Observatory, Hawaii (2004-).

Project scientist for the Next Generation Wavefront Controller, a large upgrade to the existing Adaptive Optics systems.

Principal Investigator on a project funded by the Center for Adaptive Optics to investigate the nature of the aberrations introduced by laser guide stars and develop new ways to mitigate them.

Optimized and characterized the performance of the Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (LGS AO) system.

Post-doctoral researcher, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California (2002-2004).

Characterized and improved the performance of the Keck Observatory (AO) system.

Investigated the behavior of each subsystem, calculated and mitigated the wave-front error.

Implemented new calibration procedures and a new wave-front reconstructor.

Implementation and characterizated subcomponents of the Laser Guide Star AO system.

Wrote an end-to-end simulation of the AO system that and an analytic model of the AO control loop.

Developed simulations of a Kalman filter for AO.

Helped improve the performance of the Indiana University vision science AO system.

Lecturer, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaii (2003).

Lectured university students on Observational Astrophysics.

Teaching assistant, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand (1999-2002).

Guided students in their laboratories

Designed and built the controller for an inverted pendulum used as a teaching tool.

Researcher, Industrial Research Ltd., Lower Hutt, New Zealand, (1996-1999).

Constructed a computer model to predict and maximize the sensitivity of a cryogenic current comparator.

Investigated the operation of a resistance-bridge calibrator at high frequencies, which required circuit analysis and mathematical modeling.

Professional service

Journal Referee for the Journal of the Optical Society of America A, Experimental Astronomy, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and Optics Express.

Review Committee Chairman for the Thirty Meter Telescope preliminary design review for NFIRAOS.

Organizing Committee member for the Optical Society of America Conference on Adaptive Optics (Vancouver, 2007)

Academic record

Institution University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Date 1999 - 2002

Program Doctorate

The PhD thesis was titled "Wave-front sensing and adaptive optics in astronomy". The research involved finding improved methods to estimate the wave-front distortion due to atmospheric turbulence.

Institution University of Canterbury

Date 1996 -1998

Program Bachelor of Engineering (1^st Class Honors), majoring in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Bachelor of Science, majoring in Physics and Mathematics.

Achievements A+ average

Institution Victoria University of Wellington

Date 1994 - 1995

Program Bachelor of Science, majoring in Physics and Mathematics.

Achievements A+ average

Institution Wellington College

Date 1990 - 1994

Program University Bursary and Scholarship

Achievements Second overall in New Zealand in national examinations.

President of the School Council, Dux and Prefect of College.