Virgil is a Data Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with international experience supporting landmark planetary science and Earth observation missions including Juno, Europa Clipper, Suomi NPP, and OCO-2. He has 30+ years of expertise in aerospace and robotics, spanning physics-based modeling and simulation, applied machine learning, propulsion and sensor systems, and signal processing, with deep domain knowledge across the rapidly evolving aerospace and defense technology landscape. Prior to JPL, Virgil was a senior R&D engineer developing commercial simulation software for aerospace, defense, and energy customers, leading funded research programs with federal agencies and Fortune 500 partners. He also serves as Adjunct Lecturer in computational and decision methods and engineering economics at the University of Southern California. Virgil is the author or co-author of 100+ peer-reviewed publications in journals and conference proceedings including Nature, Science, and Nature Astronomy.

Virgil holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University at Buffalo.

Note: All opinions expressed by Virgil are his own and do not represent those of NASA, JPL, or Caltech.