Thomas Markusic is an accomplished aerospace engineer with a robust career in the space industry. Currently serving as Chief Technical Advisor and CEO at Firefly Aerospace since January 2014, Thomas has a diverse background that includes key roles such as Vice President of Propulsion at Virgin Galactic and Senior Systems Engineer at Blue Origin, albeit for a brief period. Prior experience includes leadership positions at Space Exploration Technologies as Director of the Texas Test Site and propulsion research roles at NASA and the United States Air Force. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University, obtained between 1997 and 2002.