Brandon White serves as the Center Liaison (CL) and SBIR Infusion Manager for the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). In alignment with the Center’s core competencies, Mr. White oversees technology developments across GRC’s portfolio of SBIR, which actively participates across all Mission Directorates, and STTR. He leads GRC’s efforts in providing support for the SBIR and STTR solicitation, review, award processes. He also supports a number of activities that promote transition, infusion and commercialization of small business technologies matured through the program. Mr. White currently serves as the lead for the NASA SBIR Intern Diversity Supplement—an effort that seeks to diversify the workforce by providing entrepreneurially minded students an opportunity to work with and learn from NASA SBIR Phase II firms. Mr. White is also the NASA SBIR/STTR Lead for Technical and Business Assistance (TABA).
Prior to working with the SBIR/STTR Program, Mr. White provided Reliability and Maintainability expertise and analyses to projects and programs around NASA including the Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Testbed at Glenn, Regenerative Fuel Cells and Nuclear Fission Power. Mr. White received an Agency Group Achievement Award for his contributions to false positive/false negative analyses of the Space Launch System core stage for the Mission and Fault Management Team.
Mr. White got his start at NASA Glenn as an electrical engineer in the Power Management and Distribution Branch at Glenn and supported multiple efforts that were instrumental in advancing SEP technology development. Most notably, he served as product engineer for the development of flight-rated Power Processing Units (PPUs) for NASA’s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster-Commercial Project. White led test efforts to successfully characterize the operation of the NEXT PPU Testbed unit. This characterization served as the baseline for the design of the flight-build versions for NEXT-C.
Mr. White is the recipient of two NASA Group Awards for his role in maturing SEP technology as a member of the Space Technology Mission Directorate Power Processing Technology Development Team in 2013 and 2015, respectively. In 2018, White received the NASA Silver Achievement Medal for his role on the SEP Testbed team. Mr. White serves as the vice Chair for the African Heritage Advisory, an African American Employee Resource Group at NASA Glenn.
Outside of NASA, Mr. White is the recipient of the National Technical Association’s (NTA) Nsoroma Prince Award that is given by the Cleveland chapter of the NTA. This award recognizes persons of exemplary character; outstanding personal attributes; and the makings of a leader in science, technology, or education.
Mr. White received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama. In his spare time, Mr. White coaches softball and FIRST LEGO Robotics. He is married to wife Chyra and has three daughters, Brianna, Camryn and Laila. Mr. White is a native of Mobile, Alabama.