Bio
Dr. Giblin earned a BS in Astrophysics and an MS in Physics from the University of Missouri St. Louis, and a PhD in high energy astrophysics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he worked at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center supporting NASA’s Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory mission from 1994-2000. From 2000-2007 he served on the Physics & Astronomy faculty at the College of Charleston where he became a key collaborator with the University of the Virgin Islands in the development of the Virgin Islands Robotic Telescope (VIRT).
From 2008-2013 he served as an Avionics and Communications & Tracking Subject Matter Expert (SME) for NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston TX where he trained the crew of the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, for their mission to the International Space Station. While in Houston he served as an Adjunct Physics Professor at the University of Houston Clear Lake.
In 2013 Dr. Giblin was appointed the Director of the Quantitative Reasoning Center at the United Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where he also serves on the Physics Faculty, continuing his research in the field of Gamma-Ray Bursts and space systems technology, as well as educating and inspiring our US Air Force cadets to be the next generation of engineers, scientists, and astronauts!
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, High Energy Astrophysics, The University of Alabama in Huntsville (2000)
Master of Science, Physics, The University of Missouri St. Louis (1993)
Bachelor of Science, Astrophysics, The University of Missouri St. Louis (1991)
Professional Experience
The Academic Success Center and The Department of Physics & Meteorology, The United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
United Space Alliance, LLC, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, NC
Department of Physics & Astronomy, The College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
The University of Alabama in Huntsville & NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL
Honors & Awards
US Air Force Academy Dean of Faculty Registrar Superstar Award (2015 & 2017)
NASA JSC Group Achievement Award, US EVA-21 Planning & Execution (2013)
United Space Alliance, Quest for Excellence Performance Award (2011)
NASA JSC Group Achievement Award, STS-135 PMM Minimum Operations Team, 2011
Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Missouri St. Louis (2010)
Research and Scholarly Interests
AI/ML Space Systems Technology
High Energy Astrophysical Transients
Publications
Authored and/or Co-Authored 70+ publications and conference proceedings. Publication highlights within the last 5 years:
“Modeling GRB170202A Fireball from Continuous Observations with the Zadko and the Virgin Islands Robotic Telescopes” B. Gendre, N. B. Orange, E. Moore, A. Klotz, D. Coward, T. Giblin, P. Gokuldass, and D. Morris, Astrophysical Journal 929:16 (2022)
“A Limiting Magnitude Study of the Virgin Islands Robotic Telescope” C23 Madison Marsh, Timothy W. Giblin, Priya Gokuldass, N. Brice Orange, Devin Della-Rose, Colorado Springs Undergraduate Research Forum (2021)
“An Extreme Climate Transition in the Caribbean’s Virgin Islands II. Sun and Northern Hemisphere Atmospheric-Oceanic Feedbacks” N. Brice Orange, Noah Stolz, Molly Ryan, David L. Chesney, Bruce Gendre, Avram G. Primack, Timothy W. Giblin, David C. Morris, International Journal of Climatology, DOI: 10.1002/joc.6417 (2019)
“An Extreme Climate Transition in the Caribbean’s Virgin Islands. I. Evidence of Teleconnection with the 1976/1977 Pacific Climate Shift” N. Brice Orange, David L. Chesney, Avram G. Primack, Sandra N. Maina, Timothy W. Giblin, David C. Morris, International Journal of Climatology, DOI: 10.1002/joc.5456 (2018)
“The Etelman Observatory and the Virgin Islands Robotic Telescope: 2017 Milestone Achievements and Determined Resilience in the USVI” Morris, David C.; Gendre, Bruce; Orange, N. Brice; Cuccihira, Anotinio; Giblin, Timothy W.; Klotz, Alain; Thierry, Pierre American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #231, id.#442.07 (2018)
“A Temporal Correlation in Quiescent Gamma-Ray Burst Prompt Emission: Evidence for Progenitor Memory” Patton, Thomas L.; Giblin, Timothy W.; Hakkila, Jon. American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #232, id#323.08 (2018)
“Astronomical Research at the U.S. Air Force Academy Observatory” Della-Rose, Devin J.; Carlson, Randall E.; Chun, Francis K.; Giblin, Timothy W.; Novotny, Stephen J; Polsgrove, Daniel E. American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #231, id.#152.02 (2018)
“Follow up of GW 170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart by Australian-led observing programs” I. Andreoni et al., Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, Cambridge University Press, 34, e069 (2017)
“Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger” LIGO and Virgo Scientific Collaborations, Astrophysical Journal Letters, 848, L12 (2017).