Dr. Branden Allen is an Astronomer and Planetary Scientist who has spent the bulk of his career at the intersection of detector and telescope development; aerospace and electrical engineering; and the space sciences. His past and present research activities center on the creation of multi-use space-qualified systems and key technologies to enable the observation of energetic astrophysical phenomena and the characterization of nearby bodies within our own Solar System. The ultimate aims of these efforts have been the elucidation of the formation history and evolution of our universe, our own planetary system, and to aid in the search for resources that will help promote and sustain the future expansion of human activities throughout the Solar System in the years ahead.

After completing his Ph.D. (2007) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in high-energy astrophysics at TeV energy scales using ground-based particle detector arrays, he transitioned to the development of pixelated spaceflight X/γ-ray high-Z semiconductor detectors and systems at the Harvard College Observatory (HCO), a part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard-Smithsonian (CfA). There he played a leading role in two successful high-altitude balloon campaigns as well as the conception, design and operation of a soft X-ray imaging spectrometer for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission for global characterization of the composition of the target near Earth asteroid, 101955 Bennu.