Dr. Sean Casey is the founder and President of the San Diego Space Institute. He brings over two decades of experience as a NASA astrophysicist and airborne astronomer, combined with deep expertise in commercial space business development.
Prior to founding SDSI, Dr. Casey co-founded the Silicon Valley Space Center and served as VP of Commercial Business Development at Atlas Space Operations, bringing both the technical depth of a research scientist and the commercial acumen of a business executive to every program he leads.
At SDSI he leads the Sentinel-Bio+ program, connecting university students at SDSU and SJSU to active satellite missions. Through Sentinel-Bio+, students follow NASA-style design reviews, build and test real flight hardware, and develop the documented systems engineering experience that aerospace employers value.
His academic credentials (a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Chicago and dual MBAs from the Berkeley Haas and Columbia Business Schools) reflect the same boundary-crossing that defines SDSI's approach: rigorous science, real engineering, and a clear-eyed understanding of where the industry is going.