Garret Fitzpatrick

Garret Fitzpatrick is a Principal Investigator and Project Engineer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, where he leads engineering teams to develop systems and instrumentation to help us better understand the Universe. Previously, Garret served as a systems engineer at the NASA Ames Research Center, where he led the engineering development of a cell biology payload for the International Space Station. Prior to that, he supported fifteen Space Shuttle flights as a crew survival system hardware manager at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Garret has also spent time in industry, leading a product development division for Shell TechWorks, an innovation center focused on bringing in outside expertise to solve Shell’s toughest technical challenges. Garret is a science and travel writer and a regular panelist and invited speaker on innovation.