Dr. Roberto J. Acosta is a senior engineer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland, Ohio. He is currently the principal investigator for technology verification experiments for geostationary and low-Earth-orbit radio propagation at the Ka-band frequency. He is also the lead investigator for Ka-band phased-array antenna system characterization and rain fade compensation techniques.

Dr. Acosta earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, his master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Toledo, and his doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the University of Akron. He has over 25 years experience in communications technology research and development at NASA and 2 years of satellite communication industry experience at Hughes Aircraft Company (now Boeing).

Dr. Acosta has authored and coauthored over 40 technical publications in the area of spacecraft antenna analysis, Ka-band rain fade compensation, phased-array antenna systems characterization, thermal distortion compensation, and experimental radio propagation results at Ka-band. He has received numerous NASA awards, including the NASA Engineering Achievement Medal for his work with Ka-band multibeam antenna analysis, design, and on-orbit performance measurement for the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS). Dr. Acosta is an inductee into the Space Technology Hall of Fame for his technical achievements in advancing the state-of-the-art in Ka-band multibeam antenna technology. He serves as a technical consultant for other NASA centers and industry in Ka-band antenna technology, Ka-band propagation, and phased-array antenna system characterization. He is often invited to give technical presentations at national and international conferences, workshops, university colloquia, and research institutes.