Grant Huang is the Chief Cyber Integration Architect for the Space Systems Integration Office (SSIO) within Space Systems Command (SSC) at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, a role he assumed in 2024. He leads cyberspace research and development for next‑generation space systems, coordinating efforts across the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), academic institutions, industry partners, and inter‑government agencies. He oversees the maturation of cyber capabilities from early proof‑of‑concept through advanced prototype development, ensuring alignment with U.S. Space Force (USSF) cyber defense strategy and operational needs. His work includes guiding promising technologies from industry and academia into mission‑focused prototype efforts to close enterprise capability gaps. His efforts were recognized with SSC’s Fight Tonight Innovation Competition Award for advancing a novel R&D capability that transitioned rapidly from concept to operational application. He also plays an active role in supporting research collaboration and workforce development for the USSF University Consortium in the space‑cyber domain. 

Since joining the USSF in 2021, Dr. Huang has contributed to multiple mission areas across SSC. He began his federal service as a General Engineer at the Space and Missile Center, applying his technical R&D expertise to mission‑critical challenges. He later advanced to Chief Mission Architect within SSIO, where he led a multidisciplinary team of FFRDC and DoD Science and Engineering (S&E) professionals. In this role, he directed pioneering R&D efforts focused on transforming future space systems, with particular emphasis on space‑based environmental monitoring (SBEM).

Dr. Huang brings more than a decade of R&D experience spanning academia, industry, and government. His work has been supported by the U.S. National Academies, the U.S. Air Force, and defense industries. His technical expertise includes advanced sensory‑based navigation and localization techniques for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) applications, as well as innovative assisted GPS/GNSS (A‑GPS/GNSS) technologies and communication systems. He has authored more than 15 publications in high‑impact journals and conference proceedings, alongside U.S. patents that underscore his inventive impact and technical contributions to the field.

He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2014. He subsequently received a National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship from the U.S. National Academies and served as a postdoctoral researcher at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, from 2015 to 2017, conducting foundational research in satellite communication technologies. From 2017 to 2019, he served as research faculty in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Department at the University of Florida, focusing on defense‑oriented PNT research sponsored by the U.S. Air Force.

In 2019, Dr. Huang joined Integrated Solutions for Systems, Inc. (IS4S) as a Senior Research Engineer, supporting externally funded military R&D programs advancing PNT technologies. He returned to the University of Florida in 2020 as a Research Associate Scientist, where he secured external research funding and supported military‑sponsored PNT initiatives.

Dr. Huang is an active senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of the Institute of Navigation (ION), and an inductee of the Eta Kappa Nu Electrical Engineering Honor Society. He contributes to the advancement of the field as a reviewer for several high‑impact journals and conferences, including IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation & Measurement, GPS Solutions, Navigation: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, and the American Society for Engineering Education.                                                             

Career Chronology

§  August 2024 - Present  Chief Cyber Integration Architect, 

Enterprise Capabilities, 

Space Systems Integration Office,

Space Systems Command, United States Space Force

§  April 2022 - August 2024  Chief Mission Architect, 

Information Mobility, 

Space Systems Integration Office,

Space Systems Command, United States Space Force

§  September 2021 - April 2022  General Engineer, 

Space and Missile Systems Center, United States Space Force

§  February 2020 - September 2021  Research Associate Scientist, 

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida              

§  January 2019 - February 2020  Senior Research Engineer, 

 Integrated Solutions For Systems, Inc.

§  January 2017 - January 2019  Research Assistant Scientist, 

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida  

§  January 2015 - January 2017  National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, FL

Research Experiences

§ 2008-2014

Graduate Research Assistant, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Education

2014      Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio

2009      Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio