Darren DePoy

Prof. Darren DePoy holds the Rachal/Mitchell/Heep Professorship in Physics at Texas A&M University's Department of Physics and Astronomy, part of the College of Science. He leads the Astronomical Instrumentation Lab and serves as project scientist for the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) installed at the Cerro Tololo 4m telescope. His work focuses on advancing optical instrumentation for ground-based telescopes, including projects like HETDEX and the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE). Affiliated with the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics & Astronomy, his research spans dark energy studies, exoplanet atmospheric characterization, and precision calibration techniques for large-scale spectroscopic surveys.

Recent contributions include developing the Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy Imager (ETSI) for rapid exoplanet atmosphere analysis and advancing reflectivity measurement standards for telescope baffling materials. His instrumentation innovations support major facilities like the Hobby-Eberly Telescope and future ELT instruments.