Shri Agarwal

NASA Electronic Parts Assurance Group Coordinator

Shri Agarwal is the NASA Electronic  Electronic Parts Assurance Group (NEPAG) coordinator, a role he assumed in February 2020. NEPAG is about sharing electronic parts failure and other experiences within NASA and with other domestic and international space organizations. Agarwal has supported the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging program and NEPAG as the agency’s Point of Contact for microcircuits. 

Agarwal represents NASA on the Defense Logistics Agency’s Qualifying Activity for space microcircuits whose responsibilities are varied, including supply chain audits and infusion of new technology into military standards. He was instrumental in developing requirements for Class Y, a classification assigned to the advanced (system-on-a-chip complexity) ceramic-based non-hermetic microcircuits for space. He serves as the vice-chair of the Society of Automotive Engineers; Systems, Standards, and Technology Council; and Solid State Devices group and as chair of its Space subcommittee.

Based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Agarwal has received numerous awards, including NASA medals for his contributions to space flight projects. He has presented on matters related to space electronic parts at domestic and international meetings. He holds master’s degrees from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles; the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India; and Agra University, Agra, India. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Electrostatic Discharge Association.

Jonny Pellish

Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical Parts Program Manager

Dr. Jonathan “Jonny” Pellish serves as NASA’s Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts manager at Goddard Space Flight Center, responsible for workforce stewardship and coordinating agencywide discipline technical activities in the EEE Parts and radiation effects engineering communities. Pellish is also the acting manager for the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program, which is operated by Goddard for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance.

Prior to assuming his latest position, Pellish served on detail in the NASA Headquarters Office of the Chief Financial Officer Strategic Investments Division, as an associate chief in the Goddard Electrical Engineering Division, and as an associate head in the Flight Data Systems and Radiation Effects Branch, where he began his NASA career in 2008.

Pellish received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, in 2004 and his Master of Science and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2006 and 2008, respectively. From 2004 to 2008, Pellish was a graduate research assistant in the Radiation Effects and Reliability Group in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. From 2007 to 2008, Pellish held an IBM doctorate fellowship, which included a co-op position at the IBM Austin Research Laboratory. His research continues to focus on radiation effects and cross-cutting efforts for deep space exploration.

Pellish has authored or coauthored more than 60 refereed publications in addition to numerous conference and workshop presentations. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Peter Majewicz, Ph.D.

Electronic Parts and Packaging Program Manager

Dr. Peter Majewicz is the manager of the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) program and is based at Goddard Space Flight Center.

The NEPP agencywide program evaluates new and emerging Electrical, Electronic, Electromagnetic and Electro-optical part technologies, shares technical knowledge, and develops tools for Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) parts assurance. It generates recommendations about part performance, application, failure modes, test methods, Reliability, and Supply Chain Quality within the context of NASA space flight missions and hardware.

Previously, Majewicz supported the NEPP program as the Hybrid Working Group coordinator and managed the development of NASA-STD-8739.10, Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts Assurance Standard.

Majewicz spent five years as a NASA support contractor after retiring from active duty as a U.S. naval officer, ending a 22-year U.S. Navy career in 2009.

He earned a Master of Science in electrical engineering in 2005 from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and a doctorate in systems engineering in 2017 from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Ken LaBel

Electronic Parts and Packaging Program Co-Manager

Ken A. LaBel received his Bachelor of Engineering Science degree in electrical engineering and computer science with a minor in mathematical sciences from The Johns Hopkins University in 1983. Since graduation, he has worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). His career at NASA has included development of

• Hardware/software for ground systems,
• Advanced technology,
• Flight hardware,
• Systems engineering and
• Radiation hardness assurance/research for more than 50 NASA projects.

He is currently co-manager of the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program as well as senior staff engineer for the Radiation Effects and Analysis Group at GSFC. He has won multiple awards at NASA including the prestigious National Resource Award and the GSFC Moe I. Schneebaum Award. LaBel has published more than 100 papers as author/co-author, has taught multiple short courses at Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC), Hardened Electronics and Radiation Technology Conference, Radiation Effects on Components and Systems Conference, and others, and is a recognized expert in radiation effects systems engineering. He was the 2009 IEEE NSREC short course chair as well as the 2012 IEEE NSREC general chair.

Michael Sampson

Electronic Parts Assurance Group Manager

Michael Sampson received his Master of Science degree in engineering management from the University of Maryland, University College, in 1999.  He has been co-manager of the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program since Oct. 1, 2003, and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Alert Coordinator since 2005. NEPP is a cross-agency activity that evaluates new and emerging Electrical, Electronic and Electromagnetic (EEE) part technologies, shares information, and develops tools for EEE Parts assurance.  Sampson has worked for NASA for more than 18 years. Before joining NASA, Sampson spent five years as a NASA support contractor and, before that, more than 20 years as an engineer and engineering manager in electronic parts manufacturing.

Most NASA centers have an Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts Point of Contact (PoC). For more information, contact the PoC at your center.

John Evans

NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging PROGRAM EXECUTIVE

Dr. John W. Evans currently is the program executive for the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging program at NASA Headquarters' Office of Safety and Mission Assurance in Washington, D.C. 

Evans has over 30 years of experience and has held positions in industry and academia, in addition to positions at NASA. As a senior NASA engineer, he has worked on the development of many flight projects and research efforts and originally founded the NASA Electronic Packaging program in the early 1990s. Evans also was a consultant in systems and Reliability engineering to major companies, internationally. 

Evans holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering. He is the author of three books and many technical publications on parts, packaging and Reliability.