Dr. Cortez is currently an adjunct professor in the Physics and Geology Department for this academic year. Prior to this appointment Dr. Cortez was a Distinguished visiting Professor at the United States Coast Guard Academy’ Science Department in New London Connecticut. Dr. Cortez was an Associate Professor at UTPA from 2002 to 2005 and served as Chairman of the Department during the 2002-2003 Academic year.

Dr. Cortez holds a Ph.D. degree in Theoretical Physics and a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Physics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In addition, Dr. Cortez obtained his BS and MS in Atomic Physics, from Texas A&M University, Kingsville.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SUMMARY

Dr. Cortez has over 30 years working experience in project and program management of laboratory and test operations in the area of energetic materials research and development. This technical experience includes:

Eleven years of hands-on laboratory research and development duties at various levels of responsibility at the Department of Energy’s two nuclear weapons National Laboratories (Livermore and Los Alamos);

Over twenty years of Federal Government service with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) in Washington, D.C. and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL; and

Two and 1/2 years as Director of a military munitions test laboratory at the State of New Mexico’s Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, NM.

The above Federal Government experience includes international technology transfer activities in the area of alternative energies (DOE) and civilian nuclear reactor safety (USNRC) with developed and developing countries concerned energy technologies and the continued safe application of nuclear energy for electrical power generation worldwide.

Dr. Cortez is presently a member of the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee concerned with the continued development and safe application of nuclear energy technologies to generate electrical power in the US.