Brian Fleming headshot, male, brown hair, glasses, plaid button-down shirt, smile.

Brian Fleming

Assistant Research Prof.

Education

  • Ph.D. (2013) • Astrophysics • Johns Hopkins University
  • M.S. (2008) • Physics and Astronomy • Johns Hopkins University
  • B.S. (2005) • Physics • Illinois Institute of Technology
  • B.S. (2005) • Aerospace Engineering • Illinois Institute of Technology

Current Position

  • Assistant Research Prof. – Astrophysics and Planetary Science
  • Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
  • University of Colorado, Boulder
  • Principal Investigator of several technology development and sub-orbital/CubeSat grants, IS/IPI on Explorer Phase A Concept studies. Leads a large team of students and professionals on NASA programs focused on UV astronomy instrumentation for integral-field spectroscopy.

Mission/Grant logos for various CU-LASP projects led by Dr. Fleming, all of which are dedicated to supporting extended source spectroscopy in the far-ultraviolet. Clockwise from top left: [1] A project supporting instrument development around far-UV guiding fiber optics, [2] The SPRITE far-UV (100 - 175 nm) spectroscopic CubeSat, set to launch in early 2025, [3] The MOBIUS sounding rocket, a dual far-UV/near-UV integral-field spectrograph (IFS) underdevelopment to launch in 2027, [4] A program to develop high-efficiency, low-scatter gratings using lithography, [5] The INFUSE sounding rocket, the first far-UV IFS (launched in 2023), and [6] the UMIS micromirror-enabled far-UV reconfigurable IFS demonstrator.
Mission/Grant logos for various CU-LASP projects led by Dr. Fleming, all of which are dedicated to supporting extended source spectroscopy in the far-ultraviolet. Clockwise from top left: [1] A project supporting instrument development around far-UV guiding fiber optics, [2] The SPRITE far-UV (100 - 175 nm) spectroscopic CubeSat, set to launch in early 2025, [3] The MOBIUS sounding rocket, a dual far-UV/near-UV integral-field spectrograph (IFS) underdevelopment to launch in 2027, [4] A program to develop high-efficiency, low-scatter gratings using lithography, [5] The INFUSE sounding rocket, the first far-UV IFS (launched in 2023), and [6] the UMIS micromirror-enabled far-UV reconfigurable IFS demonstrator.

Technology Interests

  • Multi-object and integral-field UV spectroscopy
  • Advanced mirror coatings for high throughput and greater design flexibility in the UV
  • Etched silicon blazed gratings for greater aberration correction and throughput for the UV
  • Far-UV transmitting fiber optics
  • EUV optics and telescope designs
  • UV Photon-counting detector technology
  • MEMS devices for spectral multiplexing

Goals and Aspirations

  • Develop new ways to answer outstanding questions in astrophysics by developing enabling technologies and rapidly maturing them through NASA's sub-orbital program.
  • Educate the next-generation of space scientists and engineers by providing leadership opportunities to a broad and diverse set of students at all levels.
  • Design and build compact instruments that provide new capability at a fraction of the cost of predecessor programs.
  • Maintain a positive and inclusive environment for the students, scientists and engineers working on my programs.