Major Joe Ellis
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bio
Maj Joe Ellis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.
Maj Ellis earned his commission in the U.S. Air Force through Officer Training School in 2013 and transferred to the U.S. Space Force in 2021. Throughout his career, he has served in a variety of technical and leadership positions, including Lead Engineer for an Air Force cybersecurity program, Antenna and Electromagnetics Research Engineer, Executive Officer for the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, and Chief Engineer for Space Domain Awareness programs within Space Systems Command.
Maj Ellis holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Davis; a Master of Science from the Air Force Institute of Technology; and a Doctor of Philosophy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, all in electrical engineering. His academic and research interests include signal processing, machine learning, and electromagnetics.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia (2024)
Squadron Officer School (2019)
Master of Science, Electrical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Ohio (2018)
Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California (2013)
Professional Experience
Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (2026–present)
Acting Deputy Director, Requirements and Engineering, System Delta 85, Space Systems Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. (2026)
Chief Engineer, Advanced Capabilities and Battlespace Integration, System Delta 85, Space Systems Command, Peterson SFB, Colo. (2024-2026)
Executive Officer, Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (2019-2020)
Deputy Branch Chief, Antennas and Electromagnetic Technologies Branch, Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (2019)
Antenna and Electromagnetic Engineer, Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (2018-2019)
Lead Engineer, Host Based Security Systems, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass. (2013-2016)
Honors & Awards
2018 AFIT IEEE Outstanding Student
Meritorious Service Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Research and Scholarly Interests
Signal processing
Machine Learning
Electromagnetics
Publications
Ellis, J. A., Emmons, D. J., & Cohen, M. B. (2025). Global sporadic-E prediction and climatology using deep learning. Space Weather, 23, e2025SW004366. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025SW004366
Ellis, Joseph. Detection and Characterization of Ionospheric Sporadic-E: A Machine Learning Approach. Diss. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024.
Ellis, J. A., Emmons, D. J., & Cohen, M. B. (2024). Detection and classification of sporadic E using convolutional neural networks. Space Weather
J. Hughes et al., “Towards a Predictive Model of Sporadic E using Planetary Wave Signatures Quantified with the N Dimensional Lomb Scargle Peridogram,” 2025 URSI Asia-Pacific Radio Science Meeting (AP-RASC), Sydney, Australia, 2025, pp. 1-3, doi: 10.46620/URSIAPRASC25/PMHF1106.
Emmons DJ, Wu DL, Swarnalingam N, Ali AF, Ellis JA, Fitch KE and Obenberger KS (2023) Improved models for estimating sporadic-E intensity from GNSS radio occultation measurements. Front. Astron. Space Sci. 10:1327979. doi: 10.3389/fspas.2023.1327979