Bruce Margon
Interim Vice Provost for Silicon Valley Initiatives
UC Santa Cruz
SVC Building 19, Rm. 2050


Bruce Margon is Vice Chancellor for Research, Interim Vice Provost for Silicon Valley Initiatives, and Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His prior positions include Associate Director for Science at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which oversees operation of the Hubble Space Telescope, and Professor and Chairman at the Department of Astronomy, University of Washington. He holds an A.B. degree from Columbia, and Ph.D .from University of California, Berkeley. Margon's research specialty is observational high energy astrophysics. He has been the recipient of the American Astronomical Society's Newton Lacey Pierce Prize for outstanding research, in addition to many other awards, and has authored over 200 publications in professional journals. Margon is often sought by the media for comments on astronomical news, and has written widely in general interest publications such as Scientific American.

Tracy Larrabee
Associate Vice Provost for Silicon Valley Initiatives
UC Santa Cruz
SVC Building 19, Rm. 2050
(831) 459-3227 Ext. 153


Dr. Larrabee is the Associate Vice Provost for UCSC Silicon Valley Initiatives. Dr. Larrabee will be the academic point of contact for UCSC's Silicon Valley Initiatives and will oversee the University Affiliated Research Center and the Advanced Studies Laboratory, including the Bio-Info-Nano Research and Development Institute. On the UCSC campus, she will concentrate on serving the needs of the arts, engineering, and physical and biological sciences divisions.

After receiving her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University, Dr. Larrabee joined the UCSC faculty in 1990. Dr. Larrabee's research in CMOS IC test and diagnosis has produced several award-winning papers and is widely cited. In 1995 Dr. Larrabee received the Presidential Young Investigator award from the National Science Foundation. Before academia, Professor Larrabee worked in several industrial research facilities, including extensive work on government contracts.

Tedd Siegel
Assistant Vice Provost for Silicon Valley Initiatives
UC Santa Cruz
(831) 459-4229

Nirvikar Singh
Professor of Economics and Special Advisor to the Chancellor
Graduate School of Management (proposed)
SVC Building 19, Rm. 2091
(650) 387-0226


Nirvikar Singh is Professor of Economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has served as Director of the Santa Cruz Center for International Economics, Co-Director of the Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, Director of the South Asian Studies Initiative, and Special Advisor to the Chancellor. He organized one of the first major US conferences on Indian economic reform. He received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BSc and MSc from the London School of Economics, where he was awarded the Allyn Young Prize, Gonner Prize and Ely Devons Prize. His current research topics include information technology and development, electronic commerce, business strategy, economic growth and the Indian economy. He has authored over 100 research papers and co-authored three books: Joint Ventures, International Investment and Technology Transfer; The Political Economy of Federalism in India; and Waiting to Connect: India IT Revolution Bypasses the Domestic Industry. He has also served as an advisor for several startups and knowledge services firms in Silicon Valley and in India.

Ravi Thomas
Advisor for the Proposed Graduate School of Management
SVC Building 19, Rm 2065
(650) 528-4030 ext 145


Ravi Thomas is an advisor to UC Santa Cruz on its Silicon Valley Initiatives and to various clean-tech and software companies. He also currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for University Associates - Silicon Valley LLC. He has held senior level executive positions at several startups. He was one of the founders, CFO and a board member of Jareva Technologies. He was involved in all aspects of the company from its founding as a service business, to its repositioning as a software product company, to the revenue stage and its successful exit through an acquisition by Veritas. Prior to joining his first startup Dr Thomas was an Assistant Professor at the Fox School of Business at Temple University where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in microeconomics, economics of information, and public finance. He has also taught at Swarthmore College and was a Visiting Fellow at the International Monetary Fund. Dr Thomas received his undergraduate and masters degrees from the London School of Economics and his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

LaRae West
Executive Assistant to Nirvikar Singh
Office of the Chancellor
1156 High Street - Kerr Hall Room 15
(831) 459-2607

Connie Miley
Sr Adm/Facility Manager
SVC Building 19, Rm. 2091
(650) 528-4030 Ext. 101

Wenonah Vercoutere
Acting NASA Co-Director
Advanced Studies Laboratories
Ames Research Center, Building 239, Rm. 138
(650) 604-


Wenonah Vercoutere received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) in 2001. Wenonah participated in space life sciences research at NASA Ames Research Center for her senior thesis while a student at Sonoma State University, earning undergraduate degrees in both Biology and Chemistry. In addition to her role as ASL Acting Co-Director, Wenonah continues to pursue her own research on the use of single-molecule detectors to evaluate potential biomarkers of radiation exposure and its consequence(s). She has managed her laboratory at NASA Ames since 2003, presenting results at national and international conferences and publishing peer-reviewed articles. Wenonah is a strong advocate of, and personally committed to, education and outreach, routinely presenting seminars to audiences ranging from university graduates to K-14 students/teachers.

Lisa Witt
Facilities and Project Manager
Advanced Studies Laboratories
Ames Research Center, Building 239, Rm. 165
(650) 604-1202

Dr. Richard Hughey
BIN-RDI Director


Richard Hughey is Director of the Bio-Info-Nano Research and Development Institute (BIN-RDI). As a faculty member in the Baskin School of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, he is Chair of the B.S. in Bioengineering, and a Professor of Computer Engineering and of Biomolecular Engineering. His research interests include high-performance computing and bioinformatics. He is co-creator of the SAM sequence analysis package. In collaboration with Roberto Manduchi, he leads SURF-IT, a 9-week summer undergraduate research program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Prior to becoming Director of the BIN-RDI, he served as Chair of Computer Engineering, Vice Chair of Biomolecular Engineering, chair of the faculty committee responsible for undergraduate education, and chair of the faculty committee responsible for undergraduate admissions and financial aid. He led development of UCSC's B.S. in Bioengineering, and helped create the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs in Bioinformatics and the Department of Biomolecular Engineering. In 2008 he received a UCSC Chancellor's Achievement Award for Diversity in recognition of his work within the Baskin School of Engineering. He is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is a member and UCSC chapter advisor of the Society of Women Engineers and of Tau Beta Pi, and is member and UCSC chapter president of Phi Beta Kappa. He received the B.A. in Mathematics and B.S. in Engineering from Swarthmore College, and the Sc.M. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Brown University.

Dr. Burney Le Boeuf
Chair, Core Research Directors

(831) 459-5014


As the University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) Managing Director (acting), Dr. Burney Le Boeuf is responsible for the operational management of the UARC, ensuring the UARC achieves its management, scientific, technical, and educational goals. He also provides liaison and support to the SVI and oversees the administration of other sponsored research grants and cooperative agreements associated with the UARC.

Dr. Le Boeuf is a Research Professor who has been a faculty member in Biology and the Institute for Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz since 1968. Since 2000 he has been associated with the Office for Research, first as Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, and since 2001, as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research.

Le Boeuf is well known for his research on the behavioral ecology and physiology of marine mammals. He has published over 157 peer reviewed articles and authored three books. He received his BA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Cynthia Sanchez
Director - Business Operations
(650) 604-0507

Dr. Natalie Batalha
Director of the Systems Teaching Institute

(408) 924-5264


As Director of the Systems Teaching Institute, Dr. Natalie Batalha is responsible for administering student research internships under the auspices of the UARC. Dr. Batalha is currently Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at San Jose State University. She has been affiliated with NASA Ames Research Center since 2000 where she conducts research on extrasolar planet detection. She is the Principal Investigator of the Vulcan planet search project. The Vulcan team runs and operates a robotic telescope atop Mt. Hamilton at Lick Observatory. Its objective is to identify giant planets orbiting other sun-like stars. She also works as a support scientist for the Kepler mission. Kepler is a NASA Discovery mission whose objective is to identify and characterize earth-like planets orbiting sun-like stars. Dr. Batalha received her Bachelor's degree is Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Dr. Michael Isaacson
Science Director

(831) 459-1722


Michael Isaacson received his B.S. degree in Engineering Physics with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Chicago. He has been on the scientific staff in the Division of Biology at Brookhaven National Laboratory and a member of the faculty of the Physics Department and the Enrico Fermi Institute at the University of Chicago and the School of Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University before moving to UCSC in 2003.

He has published over 150 peer reviewed articles and book chapters and is currently working on a text entitled "Nanocharacterization of Materials". His research interests include development of novel nanocharacterization tools using electron, photon and ion optics and the fabrication of nano/microdevices for biomedical applications. Prof. Isaacson has been President of the Microscopy Society of America and is currently Secretary/Treasurer of the Engineering Research Council of the American Society for Engineering Education. Some of his numerous awards are an Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist award, Sloan Foundation Faculty Fellow, the Burton Medal from the Microscopy Society of America, the Rank Prize in Optoelectronics and he has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He is currently the Narinder Singh Kapany Professor of Optoelectronics and chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Dr. Bassam Musaffar
Director of Aerospace Systems

(650) 604-0083


Dr. Bassam Musaffar is the Technical Area Manager for Aerospace Systems research. Dr. Musaffar manages a group of UCSC Scientist conducting research that has an emphasis on airspace automated operations and management system concepts. He is leading a team that is developing pioneering concepts and technological solutions in aerospace operations.

Dr. Musaffar has extensive experience in aeronautics applications development, human factors research development support, engineering, and in the management of multiple projects. Prior to joining UCSC Bassam Musaffar held positions in the private sector where his range of expertise ran from designing automatic control systems to financial engineering software for investment banking. He has published extensively and in 1993 received the best technical paper award at NASA Ames. Dr. Musaffar received a BSEE, MSEE, and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri.

Dr. Jeff Myers
Director of Earth Sciences

(650) 604-3598


Jeff Myers is the Technical Area Manager for Earth Science Research and Instrumentation. He manages the Airborne Science and Technology Laboratory (ASTL) at Ames, which is engaged in the development and operation of prototype remote sensing systems for the NASA Earth Science Division. This includes a staff of engineers and data analysts that collect imagery around the world in support of global climate process studies. They also engage in disaster response activities, such as mapping wild fires and the impact of severe storms. The ASTL is currently developing sensor systems for unmanned aerial vehicles, intended for environmental observations.

Mr. Myers has been supporting NASA airborne science at Ames since 1978, when he was the principle digital imagery analyst for the U-2/ER-2 aircraft program. He became manager of the Airborne Sensor Facility in 1989, when it began developing the MODIS and ASTER airborne instruments, and continues to work closely with many of the leading Earth scientists in the Agency.

He received a B.A. degree in Geography from U.C. Berkeley in 1976, and has co-authored numerous papers on remote sensing systems and their applications.

Dr. James Arnold
Nanotechnology Technical Area Manager

(650) 604-5265


Dr. James Arnold leads a team of UC Scientists, working in collaboration with NASA Ames Center for Nanotechnology, who is using the integration of nano, bio, and information technologies required to develop extraordinary capabilities that enable solar system exploration. The work involves experimental research, development, and prototyping all of which are to be complemented by a comprehensive mix of theory, modeling and large-scale computation simulation.

Prior to joining UCSC, Dr. Arnold spent four decades at NASA. His service with NASA included: research engineering; branch management; program manager at NASA Headquarters; division and directorate management. He played a key role in the establishment of Computation Chemistry as a discipline in NASA.

Jim Arnold has published extensively in the fields of aerothermodynamics and computational chemistry. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a member of the International Academy of Astronautics. He received his B.S. at the University of Kansas in Engineering Physics, a M.S. from Stanford University in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Physics from York University, Toronto.