Omar is the Director of the SSP at ISU.  Prior to assuming his new assignment, Omar was the Chief Innovation Officer, Engineering at NASA Johnson Space Center responsible for empowering the organization creative thinking and develop capacity to innovate. Prior to that he was the Associate Chief Scientist at NASA ARC responsible for identifying new and promising areas of scientific research and supporting technologies that can be integrated into the Center's capabilities.  Previous roles at NASA also included Technology Relationship Manager, Advanced Development Manager, and Space Shuttle Orbiter Structures Subsystem Manager. Omar has Nineteen years of aerospace industry experience and has published over 33 international journal articles; he has four engineering degrees and has been an invited speaker to multiple national and international events. Omar has also been the recipient of several prestigious awards and recognitions from NASA.