Dr. Chris Hamner has a background in applied physics, and is part of the Space Science and Engineering Initiative group in Hilo. He was born and educated in the Pacific Northwest where he received his Ph.D from Washington State University studying Bose-Einstein Condensates. Following a decade of industry experience designing laser optics and radio frequency sensors, he has joined the SSEI to support advancements in ground based astronomy at the University of Hawaiʻi.