Dr. John Christian is a spacecraft navigator, author, and professor. He is an internationally-known expert in image-based spacecraft navigation and astrodynamics. Dr. Christian is a tenured associate professor at Georgia Tech and holds a faculty joint appointment at Sandia National Laboratories.

Dr. Christian develops algorithms for extracting information from space sensor data. He is most well-known for his contributions in the use of visible/infrared space imagery, especially for celestial optical navigation (OPNAV), planetary terrain relative navigation (TRN), and star/asterism identification. His algorithms have been incorporated into numerous space exploration missions.

Dr. Christian is an AAS Fellow and an AIAA Associate Fellow. He is an associate editor of the AAS Journal of the Astronautical Sciences and the AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

Education
Public Leadership Credential, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
M.S., Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology