Short Bio

Richard Jeffery Wagner, Ph.D.

Dr. Wagner obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1979 after serving nine years in the United States Air Force as an electronics technician. Dr. Wagner was then employed by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems at Space Park in Redondo Beach, California, from January 1980 until October 2010 when he retired and moved back to Hawaii.

During his employment by Northrop Grumman, Dr. Wagner worked in spacecraft integration and test on spacecraft programs such as DSP (Defense Support Program), TDRSS (tracking data relay satellite system), GRO (gamma ray observatory), Chandra (advanced X-ray astrophysical facility), and JWST (James Webb space telescope). He was I&T manager on project Redwood.

Dr. Wagner returned to school on a Northrop Grumman Master's Fellowship, obtaining his Master's Degree in computer science from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1992. He went on to obtain his Ph.D. in robotics and artificial intelligence from USC in 1997. He taught computer science at USC as a Lecturer from spring of 1998 through spring of 2000.

Dr. Wagner was a founding Co-Chairman of the Space Robotics Technical Committee of the Robotics and Automation Society of the IEEE. Dr. Wagner has been the President of his bonsai club in California, Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai, has been the President of the Torrance Democratic Club in California, has been a mentor for the high school competitive robotics team, Beach Cities Robotics (FRC 294), which won the FRC world championship in 2010, and is now a mentor for the Kalani High School robotics team (FRC 3008). Dr. Wagner is a member and past president of Rainbow Bonsai Club, is a member of the Hawaii Bonsai Association, and continues to be involved in other community service activities.

Sixtieth birthday music sent to me in 2009 by Anita Meldt: "Wotan" by Klaus Schulze and Lisa Gerrard,
from the album Rheingold: Live at the Loreley, composed by Klaus Schulze.

Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com