Gregory Vaughn-Ogin

Gregory Vaughn-Ogin is a highly experienced physicist currently serving as a Staff Engineer in Electro-Optical Payload at BlackSky since January 2020, with prior roles including Senior Engineer and Electro-Optical Payload Engineer. From September 2013 to September 2019, Gregory held the position of Assistant Professor of Physics at Whitman College, where research involved the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, focusing on thermo-optic coefficients and LIGO detector characterization. Gregory was recognized with a 2016 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for contributions to the first detection of gravitational waves. Additional experience includes visiting assistant professorships at Pomona College and research roles at California Institute of Technology and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Gregory earned a PhD in Physics with a focus on Optics and Precision Measurement from Caltech and holds a Bachelor of Science/Aarts/Engineering in Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering from the University of St. Thomas.