April 1, 2011 - The Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) has appointed Charles H. (Chip) Hill director of the Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) effective May 1, 2011.
SERC performs research and development of space technologies in cooperation with academia, industry and government agencies.
Hill has a broad background in technical program development and execution. He was a career Air Force officer who directed national-level programs, including the $100 million survivability technology program at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. He was the U.S. Department of Defense lead for space debris research, served on a national committee on high-power microwaves and on the electromagnetic effects advisory board, and coordinated programs with Congressional oversight committees. He led a number of test programs at government simulator facilities and national ranges such as the National Test Site and Kwajalein Missile Range. He briefed programs to senior government officials, including the secretary of defense and the president’s science adviser.
In industry, he was a vice president at Jaycor Inc. and Titan Inc., and manager of a multiple-contractor team at the Boeing Co. He led interdisciplinary teams developing and testing hardware and software for government customers, coordinated programs with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other government agencies, and managed organizations at the group and department level.
Since 2005, Hill has been an associate director at SERC, with responsibilities for project management and business development. He has led a SERC-Texas A&M faculty team in a significant effort developing space situational awareness technologies for the Air Force Research Laboratory.