Bradley Denby has been appointed as an assistant professor in the department. A recent graduate from Carnegie Mellon University, Denby works at the intersection of computer systems and space systems. His research centers around enabling edge computing for satellites in orbit, specifically focusing on autonomous systems, machine learning/artificial intelligence, and cyber-physical systems and edge computing.

He completed his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Before that, he worked as a civilian research engineer at the Autonomy and Navigation Technology (ANT) Center in the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), where he completed his MS in computer engineering. As an undergraduate, he studied physics, mathematics, and computer science.

What drew you to Virginia Tech? Share with us what excites you about the department and our students?

My first visit to Virginia Tech gave me a strong, positive impression of a busy, growing campus with enthusiastic students and top-rate faculty. As a new professor, I see an opportunity to engage talented graduate students in impactful research. And beautiful Blacksburg, Virginia manages to be close to major sponsors while maintaining an unbeatable standard of living.

What does your research entail? What do you hope will come of it?

My group works on orbital edge computing and autonomous, cyber-physical systems in space. Satellites and other edge devices operating in remote environments experience intermittent communication links to centralized, command-and-control centers. New, mega-constellations of satellites exacerbate these communication challenges by contending for limited link time. To react quickly to unexpected events, and to accomplish useful work while not being remotely controlled, these systems need autonomy through ML and AI. But naively deploying machine learning on a resource-constrained edge device can lead to failure; it is important to account for the physical constraints of the vehicle, like energy harvesting and storage.

My group bridges the gap between the cyber domain and the physical domain through scheduling, resource management, software, and system design and, importantly, we build, deploy, and operate nanosatellites in space!

What originally got you interested in your work? Tell us about the ‘spark’ that pulled you to your area of research.

Back when I was a Ph.D. student, I was grateful to be part of a "dream factory" where I developed new operating strategies for satellites, built multiple space vehicles, wrote detailed simulation software, and was awarded a patent for edge computing in space. I strive to create the same environment for the graduate students in my group.

Please share with us what you’d like engineering students to know about your lab and research group.

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