Timothy Sands

Timothy Sands is Professor of Practice in Space Systems at Cornell’s Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His research spans autonomous robotics, spacecraft control, and nonlinear systems, with applications in lunar exploration and defense technology.

Dr. Sands served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, contributing to NASA and DoD space missions like the Solar Wind Interplanetary Measurement project. Decorated with three Air Medals and the von Kármán Award, he holds a PhD from the Naval Postgraduate School and multiple master’s degrees.

He teaches astronautics optimization and adaptive systems, emphasizing real-world space industry challenges. His publications focus on sensor noise reduction and control algorithms for space robotics.