Remote Sensing For Space Sciences

Behind the Scenes

Life in our Group

Experience the daily excitement of cutting-edge research

2026 RSSS group

Arturo Martinez and Caleb Abbott (GSU) working alongside Daniele Calchetti (University of Rome) on the initial ARES simulator — international collaboration in action

GSU students Arturo Martinez & Caleb Abbott with Daniele Calchetti (Univ. of Rome) — building the initial ARES simulator together

GSU Solar Observatory at the South Pole, Antarctica

GSU's Solar Observatory at the South Pole, Antarctica

RSSS Group at installation of 0.7m PlaneWave telescope at Hard Labor Creek Observatory

Suyash Dhungana (undergraduate) presenting research at a conference for the Regents of the University System of Georgia

Lexi Azoulay measuring polarization characteristics at NASA JPL

Lexi Azoulay measuring polarization characteristics using a Mueller Matrix Spectro-Polarimeter at NASA JPL

Lexi Azoulay presenting coronagraph research at NASA JPL

Lexi Azoulay giving her final presentation for coronagraph research at NASA JPL

Billy O'Brien being interviewed in the lab by WABE Radio

Graduate student Billy O'Brien being interviewed in the RSSS lab by WABE Radio

Fallon Konow with Prof. Jefferies at her GSU PhD graduation

Fallon Konow with her advisor Prof. Jefferies at her GSU PhD graduation, 2026 — now Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Rome

Prof. Jefferies with students at University of Hawaii, Maui

Prof. Jefferies with undergraduate researchers Cody Smith & Amar Dhada, graduate student Caleb Abbott, and staff member Allister Knox during summer research at the University of Hawaii, Maui

Aparna Venkataramanasastry, Ryan Hall (AFRL summer internship), Prof. Jefferies, postdoctoral researcher Matt Willson, and staff member Allister Knox — summer research in Maui

For Prospective Students

Your PhD Journey Starts Here

Join a dynamic, internationally-connected research team with unprecedented opportunities

Dan Johns, Ph.D. 2024 — MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Dan Johns' PhD Defense

“Hyperspectral Speckle Imaging”

Deborah Gulledge, Ph.D. 2022 — Space Dynamics Laboratory

Deborah Gulledge's PhD Defense

“Expanding the Search for the Pulse of Jupiter”

🎓 Dual PhD Program

Unique opportunity: PhD in Astronomy from GSU + PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics & Space Science from University of Rome. International experience included.

💰 Fully Funded

$5M+ in active grants. All PhD students receive a stipend and tuition waiver — and we work hard to supplement that through fellowships, internships, and unique research opportunities.

🔬 Build Real Instruments

Design, construct, and deploy your own instruments. Work with cutting-edge facilities. Publish and present at top conferences.

$5M+

Active Funding

100%

Students Funded

Contact Our Group Leaders →

Unique Opportunity

The Dual PhD Program

One journey. One defense. Two PhDs from two continents.

Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia

PhD in Astronomy

Cotutelle Agreement

University of Rome

Rome, Italy

PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics & Space Science

How It Works: A 5-Year Journey

YEAR 1

GSU coursework & research

GSU stipend

YEAR 2

GSU research

🎓 Masters awarded

Apply to Rome program

YEAR 3

Research — USA or Italy

YEAR 4

Research — USA or Italy

YEAR 5

Dissertation & defense

🎓🎓 Two PhDs awarded

YEARS 1–2 · GSU ONLY

18 MONTHS · USA

GSU, JPL, Air Force labs, or elsewhere

18 MONTHS · ITALY

University of Rome & INAF

What You Graduate With

🎓

DEGREE ONE

PhD in Astronomy

Georgia State University

🎓

DEGREE TWO

PhD in Astronomy, Astrophysics & Space Science

University of Rome & INAF

Defense — not two

Stipend

Funded throughout the program

Alumni networks, worldwide

IN DEVELOPMENT

Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia

Universidad de La Laguna

Tenerife, Spain

with access to IAC facilities

THE PARTNERSHIP

A cotutelle dual PhD program with the University of La Laguna is currently in negotiation — the same proven structure as our Rome program, anchored in Tenerife.

IAC ACCESS

Students will have access to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and its world-class observatories at Teide and Roque de los Muchachos.

A rare founding opportunity. The right student could be the first to participate in this new partnership — helping to establish a program that will benefit RSSS students for years to come. If this interests you, we want to hear from you.

Express Interest →

The path in is simpler than it sounds. You join GSU first. During your normal PhD coursework you earn a Masters degree — standard at GSU. That Masters is your qualification for the Italian program. You apply to Rome at the end of Year 2, already knowing the group and your research direction.

Most PhD students spend 5 years in one place. Ours spend those same 5 years earning two degrees, working across two continents, and building two international networks.

Ask Us About the Dual PhD →

Student Success

Hear From Our Students

What current students and alumni say about their experience in our group

You do not need to arrive as a finished product, but you do need the willingness to learn and unlearn continuously. You will pursue bold, unconventional, and genuinely transformative ideas, not just incremental ones. As a graduate student, RSSS will empower you every step of the way. Stuart has been a supportive and deeply compassionate advisor, qualities that are rare to find alongside the highest standards of scientific rigor.

Varun Chaturmutha, Ph.D.

Ph.D. 2026

Now: AV Safety Data Reporting Engineer

Zoox

Working with the RSSS group has provided me with an incredibly unique PhD experience. Prof. Jefferies always encouraged me to apply for external opportunities, which allowed me to spend a year as an intern at JPL and pursue a dual PhD program with GSU and the University of Rome Sapienza. Although the RSSS members may not always be in the same place physically, they have been a great support system throughout my graduate career.

Fallon Konow, Ph.D.

Ph.D. 2026, GSU & Ph.D. 2026, University of Rome | NASA FINESST Fellow

Now: Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Rome, Italy

The RSSS Lab gave me the opportunity to try new ideas, learn new skills, and interact with the broader community outside of GSU. I felt that the work I was doing in the lab was truly novel and impactful, which allowed me to fast track my PhD in 4 years and make crucial connections that helped me land a job doing exactly what I want to do.

Daniel Johns, Ph.D.

Ph.D. 2024 (Completed in 4 Years)

Now: Researcher, MIT Lincoln Laboratory

The RSSS lab can be challenging, testing your resilience and independence in many different ways. Simultaneously, it will be the absolute coolest group of people you will ever work with. The team is supportive, they genuinely care about your well-being, and they're brilliant—they value your insight as much as you will value theirs. You'll work hard and be stressed, but you'll work to solve the most exciting problems you've ever encountered and will accomplish things you never thought possible. I believe pursuing my Ph.D. in the RSSS group made me a far better scientist than I could have become anywhere else. I attribute an incredible amount of my success to the advising, connections, and opportunities unique to the RSSS group. Knowing everything I know now, I'd join this group again with no hesitation.

Deborah J. Gulledge, Ph.D.

Ph.D. 2022 (Completed in 4 Years)

Now: Electro-Optical Systems Engineer

Space Dynamics Laboratory, Utah State University

My experience with the RSSS team was one of the most rewarding parts of my graduate career at GSU. We were trusted to take ownership of meaningful challenges and given the freedom to pursue our research at our own pace, while still benefiting from a strong support system of advisors and peers. The lab culture made the hard parts feel exciting rather than intimidating, and the moments of triumph genuinely worth celebrating. This balance of independence and collaboration made the work rigorous and fun, and it was especially rewarding to develop expertise I could share to support others' research.

Caleb G. Abbott, Ph.D.

Ph.D. 2022

Now: Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Notre Dame

More testimonials from our alumni will be added as they come in.

What Makes Us Different

Unparalleled Opportunities

Our students gain exposure far beyond typical academic research

🏛️

Government Partnerships

Work directly with Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA scientists, and other government agencies on funded research projects.

🌍

International Experience

Unique dual PhD program with University of Rome. Spend time in Italy, collaborate with European scientists, earn two PhDs simultaneously.

🏢

Industry Connections

Collaborate with private companies (MorphOptic, Advisory Ltd, Eddy Company) and Georgia Tech Research Institute on cutting-edge instrumentation.

🔬

Build Real Hardware

Design, construct, and deploy your own instruments. ARES facility enables rapid prototyping from concept to field deployment.

🎓

Cross-Disciplinary Training

Part of GSU's Imaging Hub - collaborate across astronomy, physics, computer science, mathematics & statistics, biology, psychology, and chemistry.

🚀

Career Paths

Alumni at NASA, national observatories, research institutions, and private industry. Multiple career pathways, not just academia.

🌐

Global Research Community

Regularly host visiting students from leading institutions worldwide. Work alongside peers from Italy, Spain, and beyond. Build an international professional network from day one.

Our People

Meet the Team

Co-led by Professors Baron and Jefferies, our international team spans researchers, engineers, and students

Fabien Baron

Professor & Co-group lead

Fabien's expertise spans optical interferometry, image reconstruction algorithms, and stellar astrophysics, with contributions to some of the highest-resolution stellar images ever obtained.

View Full Bio →

Stuart M. Jefferies

Professor & Co-group lead

Stuart pioneered multiframe blind deconvolution and time-distance helioseismology, with 40 years of experience in the field. His expertise spans high-resolution imaging and space domain awareness, with over 20 years building instruments and 30+ years running experiments in Antarctica. He is currently interested in developing the next generation of extremely large optical telescopes.

Visit Personal Page →

Dmitriy Shcherbik

Senior Research Associate

Dmitriy's research focuses on experiment automation, instrument control systems, and software for data acquisition and post-processing. He employs a rigorous methodology — numerical modeling to lab validation to observatory implementation — ensuring robust and well-validated results.

Douglas Hope

Adjunct Senior Research Associate

Doug's research spans high-resolution imaging of faint stellar companions, active galactic nuclei with JWST, asteroids, and Jovian moons. He led the first imaging of satellites during full daylight — a significant technical milestone with direct implications for space domain awareness.

Lexi Azoulay

PhD Student - 2CI Fellow

Lexi's research focuses on high contrast imaging systems for both ground and space-based observatories, working on coronagraphic and non-coronagraphic methods for imaging closely spaced objects (CSOs) such as exoplanets, satellites, and binary stars. Her research has led her to NASA JPL for multiple summer internships, where she works on coronagraph development for the Habitable Worlds Observatory on the In-Air Coronagraph Testbed (IACT). Within the RSSS group she develops numerical simulations and instruments for imaging CSOs, as well as Adaptive Optics systems for Hard Labor Creek Observatory.

Billy O'Brien

PhD Student - SURI Fellow

Billy's research focuses on advancing astronomical discovery and space domain awareness through novel optical instrumentation, observational techniques, and unique telescope architectures. He combines astronomy, engineering, and computational methods to design imaging systems that improve detection, characterization, and tracking of objects in space.

Megan Peatt

PhD Student - NSF GRFP Fellow

Megan's research interests have evolved from Wolf-Rayet stars in binaries to Young Stellar Objects (YSOs), focusing on their circumstellar disks which form planets and determine subsequent solar system environments. Using high-resolution interferometry and image reconstruction techniques, she aims to understand disk mechanics and planet formation processes.

Suyash Dhungana

Undergraduate Researcher

Suyash's research focuses on improving the restoration of hyperspectral imagery acquired through atmospheric turbulence. He assists in evaluating deconvolution algorithms developed by the RSSS group by running large-scale simulations and analyzing their reconstruction quality under varied atmospheric conditions.

Joshua Dulle

Assistant Researcher

Joshua's research focuses on wavefront sensing from focal plane images.

Ty Tidrick

Assistant Researcher

Develops software infrastructure for high-performance computing. Currently building containerized environments to run imaging code on computing clusters, and optimizing software for GPU acceleration to process images faster. Future work will focus on data pipelines to handle massive telescope datasets—capturing, storing, analyzing, and visualizing results.

Cheryl Marshall

Assistant Researcher

Cheryl's work focuses on wavefront manipulation for high-resolution imaging.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

International Research Collaborations

We supervise and collaborate with PhD and Masters students from premier institutions worldwide

Diego Portero

PhD Candidate

Universidad de La Laguna, Spain

IAC affiliation

Leticia Garcia

Undergraduate: Universidad de Santiago de Compostela

Masters: Universidad del País Vasco (Basque Country)

Now: Optics Dept., Satlantis, Bilbao

Daniele Calchetti, Ph.D.

Ph.D. University of Rome, 2021

Now: Max Planck Institute

Pier Marco Giobbi, Ph.D.

Ph.D. University of Rome, 2023

Now: Alia Space System — Italian Space/Earth Observations

International research collaborations: We supervise and collaborate with PhD and Masters students from leading institutions in Spain (IAC, Universidad de La Laguna) and Italy (University of Rome). Students conduct research with us while earning degrees from their home institutions—including 2 successful PhDs, with one graduate now at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.

26 Georgia State Alumni Working Worldwide

MIT Lincoln Laboratory • Space Dynamics Laboratory • University of Notre Dame

View GSU Alumni Network →

Career Preparation

Your Skills Portfolio

We deliberately train generalists. Our graduates leave with a broad, deep skill set that makes them competitive across academia, government, and industry — not just one track.

🔬

Optical Design & Instrument Building

Design and build custom imaging systems from scratch. Our students go from concept to working hardware — a hands-on depth that purely computational programs cannot offer.

💻

Algorithms, Simulations & Data

Programming, signal processing, numerical simulations, and data pipelines. The computational fluency to handle massive datasets and develop novel algorithms.

🌎

Field Deployment

Deploy instruments in real-world environments — from our own observatory to Air Force and NASA facilities. Experience that translates directly to operational roles.

🏭

Government & Agency Collaboration

Work directly alongside scientists and engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA Ames, and other agencies. Build professional networks before you graduate.

Our students have completed internships at JPL, AFRL Maui, AFRL Albuquerque, and KBR — before they graduate.

🏆

Fellowship Proposal Writing

Students are encouraged to write proposals for independent fellowships — better stipends, greater freedom. You do the work; we provide the map. Fallon Konow's NASA FINESST fellowship is one example.

🎤

Scientific Communication

We actively coach students to become effective communicators — presenting at top conferences, writing for publication, and explaining complex work to diverse audiences including government sponsors.

Three Career Tracks. Your Choice.

Our graduates are competitive across all three major career paths. The breadth of skills they develop means they receive multiple offers spanning different sectors — and they get to choose, rather than settle.

🏫

Academia

Postdocs and faculty positions at research universities and international institutes

e.g. Notre Dame, Max Planck Institute, NMSU

🏗

Government & National Labs

Research scientists and engineers at federally funded labs and defense agencies

e.g. MIT Lincoln Lab, Space Dynamics Lab

🚀

Industry

Technical roles at space companies, defense contractors, and imaging technology firms

e.g. Alia Space System, BAERI (NASA Ames)

See Where Our Alumni Are Now →

World-Class Infrastructure

Complete Research Pipeline

From concept to world-class deployment: three facilities that give students unparalleled hands-on access

DESIGN & BUILD

Advanced Optics Laboratory

State-of-the-art facility where students design, build, and test custom instruments from scratch. Our lab enables rapid prototyping and iteration—go from concept to working hardware in weeks, not years.

🔧

Custom Instrument Development

Design and fabricate your own imaging systems and sensors

⚡

Rapid Prototyping

Test ideas quickly before full deployment

👨‍🔬

Student-Built Systems

ARES and other flagship projects were built here by PhD students — facility supported by two DOD DURIP awards

Visitors under the night sky at HLCO public open house

Open house visitors touring the telescope dome

Tour of the PlaneWave dome

A visitor at the eyepiece

Caleb Abbott and Ellie Lincoln during telescope installation

Caleb Abbott & Ellie Lincoln during installation

Hyperspectral speckle imager attached to the 0.7m PlaneWave telescope at HLCO

Hyperspectral speckle imager on the 0.7m PlaneWave

TEST, OBSERVE & OUTREACH

Hard Labor Creek Observatory

Fabien Baron, Co-Group Lead, serves as Observatory Director. Our students have 24/7/365 access to a professional 0.7m PlaneWave telescope — no competing for time, no waiting months for observations.

🔭

0.7m PlaneWave Telescope

Professional-grade instrumentation with modern capabilities, 50 miles east of Atlanta in Hard Labor Creek State Park

⏰

24/7/365 Student Access

Test your instruments and ideas immediately — no waiting for allocated time slots. Remote operation available from anywhere.

🌙

Free Public Open Houses

Monthly public nights from March to October bring Georgia residents to the observatory to observe the night sky and meet professional astronomers. Our students help staff these events — excellent outreach and communication experience.

The CHARA Array six telescope domes at Mount Wilson Observatory

The CHARA Array — six 1-metre telescopes at Mount Wilson Observatory, California. Image: CHARA/GSU

WORLD-CLASS DEPLOYMENT

Multiple Deployment Pathways

Deploy your validated techniques to premier facilities through our extensive partnerships. Students gain access to world-class observational capabilities that most researchers never experience.

🌟

CHARA Array (GSU Facility)

World's highest angular resolution interferometer at Mount Wilson Observatory, California

🔭

3.5m - 8m Class Telescopes

Access through Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Ames partnerships

🎓

Direct Student Involvement

Work alongside government scientists and faculty at premier observatories

🚀

Real-World Impact

Deploy techniques to operational systems, not just proof-of-concept demonstrations

Our Research Methodology

From scientific question to deployment on 8-meter telescopes

Scientific Question & Idea

Identify interesting problems in imaging and develop novel approaches to solve them

↓

Numerical Simulations

One of our major strengths: Develop sophisticated computational models to test ideas and predict performance before building hardware

↓

Lab Validation

Test simulation predictions with controlled experiments in our optics lab and ARES turbulence simulator

↓

On-Sky Testing at HLCO

Upgrade hardware and test on real astronomical targets using our 0.7m telescope with 24/7 access—iterate rapidly based on results

↓

Large Telescope Deployment

Once validated on 0.7m, partner with Air Force and NASA Ames to deploy techniques on 3.5-8m class telescopes and CHARA Array

Most programs: Wait years for telescope time and hope your idea works
Our approach: Simulate → Validate → Test → Deploy. Prove your ideas work before committing resources.

Public Impact

In the News

Recent highlights | Full archive available from 2016

2026

📻 Radio

WABE 90.1 (NPR Atlanta) — Morning Edition

Georgia State lab works on telescope to search for extraterrestrial life — Prof. Jefferies discusses the 50-metre telescope under development on the Canary Islands. NPR Morning Edition, with local coverage presented by Lisa Rayam from the WABE newsroom.

June 1, 2026

Listen to Interview →

📻 Radio

WABE (NPR Atlanta)

GSU works to detect signs of life across the galaxies in collaboration with international space scientists

First aired: February 3, 2026 | Re-aired: April 24, 2026

Listen to Interview →

🌐 Web

Georgia State News Hub

From Atlanta to Rome: A Georgia State astronomy student chases the sun across continents

April 22, 2026

Read Article →

2025

📺 TV

11 Alive Atlanta

Segment with Chesley McNeil on GSU research exploring life beyond Earth

September 29, 2025 | Potential Reach: 2.56M

Watch Segment →

🌐 Web

WSB Radio Atlanta

GSU researchers launch new effort to see if there is life out there in the cosmos

September 26, 2025 | Potential Reach: 161K

Read Article →

🌐 Web

Newsbreak

Search for extraterrestrial life: GSU research featured

September 26, 2025 | Potential Reach: 18M

🌐 Web

Georgia State News Hub

Is there anybody out there? New research initiative exploring life beyond Earth

September 24, 2025

Read Article →

11 Consecutive Years of Media Coverage

39+ features since founding in 2016 — TV, print, radio, web, and international outlets

View Complete Archive (2016-2026) →

Life in our Group

Your PhD Journey Starts Here

🎓 Dual PhD Program

💰 Fully Funded

🔬 Build Real Instruments

The Dual PhD Program

How It Works: A 5-Year Journey

What You Graduate With

Hear From Our Students

Unparalleled Opportunities

Government Partnerships

International Experience

Industry Connections

Build Real Hardware

Cross-Disciplinary Training

Career Paths

Global Research Community

Research at the Frontier

Astronomy

Space Domain Awareness

Meet the Team

Fabien Baron

Stuart M. Jefferies

Dmitriy Shcherbik

Douglas Hope

Lexi Azoulay

Billy O'Brien

Megan Peatt

Suyash Dhungana

Joshua Dulle

Ty Tidrick

Cheryl Marshall

International Research Collaborations

Your Skills Portfolio

Optical Design & Instrument Building

Algorithms, Simulations & Data

Field Deployment

Government & Agency Collaboration

Fellowship Proposal Writing

Scientific Communication

Three Career Tracks. Your Choice.

Complete Research Pipeline

Advanced Optics Laboratory

Hard Labor Creek Observatory

Multiple Deployment Pathways

Our Research Methodology

In the News

2026

WABE 90.1 (NPR Atlanta) — Morning Edition

WABE (NPR Atlanta)

Georgia State News Hub

2025

11 Alive Atlanta

WSB Radio Atlanta

Newsbreak

Georgia State News Hub

11 Consecutive Years of Media Coverage

Ready to Join Our Team?

Prof. Fabien Baron

Prof. Stuart M. Jefferies