Our Team - Research Support Instruments

TERRI MILLER

President & CEO

Ms. Terri T Miller grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, where she received a lifetime of inspiration surrounded by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal engineers developing life changing technologies focused on science and space exploration. Huntsville is a recognized center for entrepreneurship where her father started and operated a successful plastics manufacturing company. She was additionally influenced by her mother’s early work at Morton-Thiokol, Inc. (now Northop Grumman), a company that evolved from supplying synthetic rubber and liquid polymer sealants during World War II, to one that would serve major rocket and missile propulsion systems, including production of the TX-18 Falcon missile, the world’s first solid-fueled missile system. With these influences, Ms. Miller pursued a degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). While a student, she began her work in engineering services as a Research Assistant with a small contractor supporting Redstone Arsenal. Her work entailed developing experimental waveguides for our nation’s guided missile programs.

Ms. Miller pursued advanced degrees in Chemical Engineering at UAH where she also worked as a Research Assistant with the NASA Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS). Her work involved developing spaceflight hardware for suborbital sounding rocket flights, studying the effects of microgravity on materials processing in space. Her research led to the discovery that the homogeneity of ceramic mixtures is controlled by electrostatic forces in microgravity. The knowledge gained informed development of better manufacturing processes for silicon carbide cutting tools for the machine tool industry. As a Principal Investigator, she designed the payload, led the manufacturing efforts, developed instrumentation for data collection, performed operational activities at the launch sites and performed the chemical research. This led to further flight opportunities for manufacturing materials on the International Space Station.

Ms. Miller’s professional career includes engineering and management roles in the Chemical Manufacturing Industry in Baltimore, Maryland, where she served as Plant Manager with profit and loss responsibility for both Atotech USA Inc. and FMC Corporation. She was elected by her peers in the local industry to serve as a Board Member on the Chemical Industry Council of Maryland where she worked with Government leaders, legislators, lobbyists and industry partners for the betterment of the local community and their combined union workforce. Her roles in the Aerospace Manufacturing Industry include development of Advanced Thermal Products for laser systems and spacecraft at Swales Aerospace in Beltsville, Maryland. She also served as Site Director for Northrop Grumman’s Space Technologies Services (STS) group in Lanham, Maryland. Northrop’s STS group was the legacy Litton Amecom organization in College Park, Maryland, that partnered with NASA GSFC via a Space Act Agreement to develop Surface Mount Technology (SMT) for space applications. This position allowed her to manage the development of flight qualified avionics for NASA and the DOD, including SDO, LRO, JWST, GPM, MMS and SBIRS. Most notably, she worked with GSFC engineers to develop the ICDH and IRSU for JWST, and led the Parts Control Board and Risk Management for the development of the flight avionics, propulsion deployment electronics, and the flight software for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission that discovered frozen water in the south pole of the Moon.

Ms. Miller is the CEO of MERC Aerospace, a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), and a State of Maryland Department of Transportation Minority Business Enterprise/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Small Business Enterprise (MBE/DBE/SBE). She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her career has spanned over 40 years of technical experience in aerospace engineering and chemical manufacturing industries. Ms. Miller brings a broad range of understanding to her commercial and Government customers as she assists them in reaching their objectives and goals.

DAVID MILLER

Vice President & COO

David Miller grew up in the farm area of Howard County in Maryland. He started his career at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland, in engineering services as a government contractor. His first assignment was with the Sounding Rocket Division, where he developed a foundational understanding of solid rocket propulsion, electro-explosives, electro-mechanical devices such as motorized systems for experiment observations and parachute recovery systems, as well as instrumentation and data reduction. Mr. Miller later served as an integration engineer with the Special Payloads Division at GSFC. This assignment allowed him to work with scientific researchers from all over the world on a variety of space instruments, including micro-gravity, space phenomenology, astrophysics and small satellite deployments. Mr. Miller's expertise in mechanical engineering has given him the opportunity to work with a number of prime government contractors to provide specialized engineering services in the areas of spacecraft and suborbital rocketry. His positions have increased in responsibility leading to project management roles for technology developments for space applications as well as a program management role for a prime mechanical engineering services contract at GSFC. Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Systems Engineering from University of Maryland Baltimore County. He has over 35 years’ experience in the aerospace industry with space shuttle and satellite system design and program management experience.

Raj Goenka

CFO

As the CFO of MERC Aerospace, Raj is responsible for providing strategic consulting, accounting, and tax services to management. Raj has developed a specialty in taxation of foreign citizens in the United States. His specialty has grown to include taxation of U.S. residents and citizens working abroad or have financial assets and accounts overseas. This includes individuals residing in the United States on immigrant and non-immigrant Visas. He provides crucial insight and proactive thinking to help management operate effectively and efficiently and make sound financial and strategic decisions. They also bring extensive experience working with government contractors and assisting them with the unique accounting, finance, operational, and tax matters that they experience. Raj has earned a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Accounting from Tribhuwan University, Nepal and a Master's Degree in Accounting from Maharishi University of Management. Raj has extensive experience in the use of QuickBooks and enjoys advising clients in the set up and utilization of QuickBooks software. Raj is no stranger to traveling. He and his wife like to see new places and explore as much as they can.

Julie H. McVearry

Operations Manager

Julie H. McVearry is an accomplished IT Business Operations Manager, with over 20 years of experience in IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, business automation, and growth strategy. She has a proven track record of leading complex IT projects, streamlining business operations, and implementing scalable automation solutions that drive efficiency and profitability. In addition to her IT expertise, she oversees Facility Security Officer (FSO) duties, ensuring compliance with security policies, risk management, and regulatory requirements. Julie has successfully helped businesses leverage automation throughout her career to optimize workflows, reduce costs, and enhance operational efficiency. She specializes in integrating cloud solutions, IT systems, and business intelligence tools to enable data-driven decision-making and improve overall performance. Her ability to align technology with business objectives allows organizations to scale efficiently while maintaining security and compliance standards. With a background in medical studies, Julie combines her technical expertise with a strong analytical and problem-solving mindset. She remains dedicated to helping businesses leverage automation, strengthen security measures, and scale operations for long-term growth. Whether managing IT operations, overseeing facility security, or implementing business automation strategies, Julie delivers innovative solutions that drive efficiency, security, and business success.

Jemma F. Kline

Principal Research Scientist

Jemma Kline currently serves as the lead systems engineer for the imager on the GeoXO next-generation geostationary weather satellite, and previously served as the Post Launch Test Director of the NOAA G-17 satellite. Prior to her work on the GeoXO and GOES-R Flight Projects, Ms. Kline served as Principal Investigator on twenty research projects ranging from plasma physics to microtechnology. Highlights include development of an active noise cancellation microspeaker for the Joint Strike Fighter, fabrication of microfabricated skin friction sensors for hypersonic Air Force wind tunnels, collaborative work with Princeton University on plasma aerodynamics, and leading the Compact Micro-Torus eXperiment (CMTX) for NASA. Ms. Kline has experience with micro-optical systems, space propulsion, plasma physics, high energy laser physics, satellite optical communications, and pulsed power. Projects in-house at RSI and on-site at NRL have included development of a family of electrothermal thrusters, a plasma diagnostic system, micromachined optics, electron beam windows, micromachined ion optics, an X-ray multichannel detector for the NOVA laser fusion facility, an atmospheric pressure plasma generator, and a quantum well modulator optical link.

Dr. Chris Rollins

Emeritus

Education: Ph.D., Physics, Northeastern University, 1984 M.S., Physics, Northeastern University, 1980 B. A., English Literature, University of Rochester, 1976 Dr. Chris Rollins was previously Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Research Support Instruments (RSI), but is currently emeritus. Dr. Rollins joined RSI in 1992, to collaborate with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) on the Clementine lunar spacecraft project. Since that time he has been active in several spacecraft programs including TICAS, NRL-HSI, NEMO, RIT, TacSat-4, JMAPS, and GOES-R; he has worked in all phases of spacecraft development, from initial design through launch and operations. For Clementine, Dr. Rollins performed systems engineering and functioned as a key technical liaison between NRL and LLNL. From February 1995 to June 1996, Dr. Rollins participated in the TICAS tactical imager architecture study. From June 1996 to March 2002, Dr. Rollins worked on the Navy EarthMap Observer (NEMO) satellite. Dr. Rollins authored the baseline hyperspectral payload design for the NEMO RFP, performed systems engineering studies, and conducted performance tests on the NEMO instruments. From September 1996 to March 1997, Dr Rollins worked on the NRL-HSI hyperspectral satellite. For this activity, he developed the baseline optical design. From June, 1997 to October 2003 , Dr. Rollins worked on the Revolutionary Imaging Technology (RIT) program in sparse-aperture space-based imaging. For the RIT program he led the development of a 16-channel multicolor camera, and participated in optical analyses and test-bed development. From October 2003 to March 2010, Dr. Rollins worked on the NRL Surrogate Sensor Experiment (SSE) program which evaluated large format (16 Megapixel and larger) imaging arrays for remote sensing applications. From January to June 2004, he worked on the AIRIS Wide Area Detector (AWAD) program. Under AWAD, Dr. Rollins designed and developed a wide-angle infrared beam expander. From February 2005 to July 2007, he worked for the NRL TMA program and its descendent, TacSat-4, performing system trades and analyses for tactical satellite payloads. From August 2005 to December, 2011, Dr. Rollins supported the JMAPS program as JMAPS Systems Scientist. From June 2006 to present Dr. Rollins supported the GOES-R/ABI flight project as a detector, calibration, and instrument systems engineering expert. Dr. Rollins is currently the ABI Flight Project Instrument Systems Engineer. He also represents the ABI Flight Project on the GOES-R Calibration Working Group. From 1991 to 1992, Dr. Rollins worked at Northeastern University, both in detector design for the experimental high-energy physics group, and as a Physics lecturer. Concurrently, he worked with Radiation Monitoring Devices (RMD), Watertown, MA, in the areas of avalanche diode development for Supercollider applications, and in atmospheric acoustic scattering analysis for White Sands Missile Range. From 1984 to 1990, Dr. Rollins worked at RSI's parent company, Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), as Group Leader, Pulsed Laser Applications. Dr. Rollins was the Principal Investigator for PSI efforts under the SDIO Laser Propulsion Program, exploring laser thermal propulsion for ground to orbit launches of small payloads. Dr. Rollins also participated in the Hardening Data Base and ALARM laser-resistant-materials development programs and functioned as a consultant to Defense Nuclear Agency and Los Alamos National Laboratory on laser supported detonation waves.

Dr. Duane Simonson

Ph.D., Principle Scientist

Dr. Duane Simonson received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Virginia. He currently works as a Chemist/Materials Engineer at NASA and the US Naval Research Laboratory through Research Support Instruments, Inc. in Lanham, MD, and has contributed to the successful launch of several DoD payloads. From 2002 to 2014 he was a Research Chemist at the US Naval Research Laboratory Materials Science and Technology and the Plasma Physics Division. His experience includes the design and synthesis of polymers and nanocomposite materials for aerospace, CBRNE detection, optics coatings, decontamination, electronic and mechanical parts inspection, EM railgun barrel longevity, and fabrication and testing of lightweight body armor and structural composites. He has published journal articles and book chapters in chemical sensing, 3D printing of circuits and microwave antennas, polymer synthesis and nanocomposites, and has several US Patents. In 2011 he was elected to the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Engineering Properties & Structure Division Board of Directors and has been a member of the ACS, ASME, DEPS, MRS, SAMPE, SPE, and SPIE.

Tai Ragan

Test Engineer, Systems Engineer, Instrumentation

Tai Ragan is an Assembly, Integration &Test lead, currently at the Space Science Division of the Naval Research Lab. He led the build and test campaigns, from optical through environmental, for the Near Filed Imager (NFI) on NASA’s PUNCH mission. Initial efforts were focused on filter wheel and attended stepper motor performance and life testing, but quickly grew to manage the entire instrument. He currently supports multiple other programs at NRL including EUVST, COSI, and CCOR3. Here he leads interdisciplinary efforts on EM Thermal characterization testing, optical component development, and supports EM camera electronics development and testing. Before his activities at NRL, he worked extensively on ground based and drone-based imagers supporting optical integration and prototyping work on multispectral and thermal imaging systems. Mr. Ragan holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from St John’s College.

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