Assistant Professor
Email Address
Telephone
Office Building
Habersham
Office Room Number
305
Biography

Thomas González Roberts is an Assistant Professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is the director of Georgia Tech’s Engineering Space Policy Laboratory.

Using tools from observational astronomy and computational astrodynamics, Dr. Roberts studies the behavior of Earth-orbiting satellites to understand how space actors—from superpowers to start-ups—engage with outer space governance. His research interests include international coordination, sustainability, and security in space. Dr. Roberts’ work has been supported by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation, and earned recognition with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Prize for Open Data, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy’s Prize for Innovation in Global Security, and a placement on Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 in Science list. He holds a PhD and SM in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT, an SM in technology and policy from MIT, and a BA in astrophysical sciences from Princeton University.

Teaching Interests

Professor Roberts' teaching interests include foundation courses in aerospace engineering at both undergraduate and graduate levels, emphasizing structural analysis, solid mechanics, and materials behavior. He aims to integrate fundamental concepts with practical problem-solving approaches to prepare students for advanced study and research in aerospace structures and materials.

Research Interests

Professor Roberts' research focuses on the mechanics of structural materials, with particular emphasis on damage mechanics, fracture, and failure of advanced composites. His work involves developing models to predict material behavior under complex loading, enhancing the durability and performance of aerospace structures through multiscale experimental and computational methods.

Research

AE Academic Disciplines:

  • Flight Mechanics & Controls
  • Systems Design & Optimization

AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:

  • Large Scale Computations, Data, and Analytics
  • Space Exploration and Earth Monitoring
  • System of Systems and Complex Systems Integration

GT AE Lab Collaboration

  • Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL)
  • Engineering Space Policy Laboratory
Education
  • PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • SM, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • SM, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology and Policy
  • AB, Princeton University, Astrophysical Sciences
Distinctions & Awards
  • Steven A. Denning Seed Fund Award for Global Engagement, Georgia Tech, 2025
  • Center for Space Technology and Research Co-location Fellowship, Georgia Tech, 2025
  • Fellowship, International Strategy Forum, 2025
  • Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science, Forbes Magazine, 2024
  • Atlanta Global Studies Center Travel Grant, Georgia Tech, 2024
  • Travel Grant, Embassy of Switzerland in the United States, 2024
  • Prize for Innovation in Global Security, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, 2023
  • Prize for Open Data, MIT School of Science and MIT Libraries, 2023
  • PhD Research Fellowship, International Strategy Forum, Schmidt Futures, 2023
  • ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, Switzerland State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, 2023
  • Travel Grant, MIT Switzerland (MISTI), 2023
  • Excellent Reviewer Award, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 2022
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation, 2021
  • Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, 2021
  • Baumgartner Employee Achievement Award, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2019
  • Harry S. Truman Scholarship, Harry S. Truman Foundation, 2015.
Recent Publications
  • LV Paulson, T Roberts, Modeling Safety-Zone Interactions and Resource Access in Lunar South-Pole PSRs, AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 0170, 2026
  • TG Roberts, Assessing Compliance with Post-mission Disposal Guidelines in Geosynchronous Orbit, 11th IAA Space Traffic Management Conference, 2025
  • HE Solera, TG Roberts, R Linares, An Open-Source Algorithm for Monitoring GEO Slot Utilization and Satellite Clustering, 11th IAA Space Traffic Management Conference, 2025
  • PM Siew, HE Solera, G Lavezzi, TG Roberts, D Jang, D Baldsiefen, ..., AI Challenge for Satellite Pattern-of-Life Identification: Dataset, Design and Results, The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences 72 (4), 41, 2025
  • TG Roberts, B Staats, K Melbourne, Exotic Space Warfare: Military Importance of Sustained Maneuver, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, Aerospace Corporation, 2024