Walt Brooks

As chief of the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) Division, Walt Brooks oversees the entire gamut of high performance computing work done within the division, and is working to transform the vision, mission, and direction for NAS. His focus on building collaborative relationships with other NASA groups, industry partners, and colleagues at universities and other government agencies reflects his dedication to making NAS a national resource for expertise in distributed heterogeneous computing.

Brooks' history at NASA Ames began in 1977. During his early career he led groups that simulated and designed space science missions such as Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF) and Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). In 1993 he was selected to lead the Space Station redesign management team. He served as both Assistant Director of Aerophysics for Ames and Chief of the Information Systems Programs and Projects Division before becoming acting NAS Division Chief in summer 1995. Brooks later worked as senior scientist for the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science Center (RIACS), where he represented Ames in NASA’s Earth Science Technology Enterprise at Goddard Space Flight Center. In this role, he developed strategy roadmaps for developing advanced information systems technology.

Brooks received a doctorate in physics from Stevens Institute of Technology, performing research for his thesis at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He earned a master’s degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1991.