Rizwan Merchant
Systems Engineer • Cybersecurity Engineer
NASA Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas, USA
Professional Summary
Systems Engineer and Cybersecurity Engineer with over 15 years of experience developing mission-critical aerospace software, leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, and securing complex spaceflight systems. Currently serving at NASA Johnson Space Center as the Spacecraft Software Engineering Branch Cybersecurity Lead.
Throughout my career, I have led CubeSat development programs, conducted cybersecurity research for the U.S. Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory, performed software safety and mission assurance for NASA human spaceflight programs, and contributed to aerospace research and development spanning flight software, systems engineering, cybersecurity, and mission operations.
Professional Experience
NASA – Johnson Space Center
Spacecraft Software Engineering Branch Cybersecurity Lead
January 2025 – Present
Houston, Texas
Provides cybersecurity leadership for the Spacecraft Software Engineering Branch, supporting secure software engineering practices and cybersecurity integration across spacecraft software projects.
Previous Assignments
Flight Software Deputy System Manager – Lunar Gateway
January 2025 – July 2026
Serves as Deputy System Manager for NASA’s Lunar Gateway Flight Software organization supporting the Artemis Program. Responsible for technical leadership, software integration, systems engineering coordination, and mission planning across Gateway flight software development.
Lunar Command & Control Interoperability (LuCCI) Cybersecurity Lead
January 2025 – October 2025
Led cybersecurity activities supporting NASA’s LuCCI initiative focused on secure interoperability between lunar vehicles, habitats, and surface infrastructure.
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
Senior Systems Safety Engineer
March 2020 – January 2025
Houston, Texas
Supported NASA’s Safety and Mission Assurance organization as a contractor performing software safety analysis for multiple human spaceflight and exploration programs.
Worked closely with NASA engineering organizations to identify software hazards, evaluate mission risk, and ensure compliance with NASA safety standards throughout the software development lifecycle.
Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment (CAPE)
Program Manager
January 2008 – March 2020
Lafayette, Louisiana
Held progressively responsible leadership roles over twelve years supporting CubeSat and high-altitude balloon research projects at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Responsibilities included:
- Program Management
- Software Development
- Systems Integration
- Ground Station Development
- Flight Operations
- Launch Coordination
- Technical Team Leadership
Major Projects
- CAPE-2 CubeSat
- CAPE-3 Cubesat
- ESG-Grid Ground Station Network
- CrawSat I
- CrawSat III
Idaho National Laboratory
Software / Reverse Engineering Intern – Cyber Security Research & Development
May 2018 – July 2018
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Conducted cybersecurity research involving electric vehicle charging infrastructure and industrial control systems.
Projects included:
- DC Fast Charging Security
- Wireless Inductive Charging Security
- IEEE 802.11p Communications
- SAE J2735 Message Standards
- Software Defined Radio Development
Developed an IEEE 802.11p packet sniffer and transmitter using GNU Radio and HackRF while also implementing programmable logic controller solutions for charging infrastructure testing.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Graduate Research Assistant
September 2016 – December 2019
Conducted cybersecurity research through the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Informatics Research Institute in partnership with Idaho National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Research focused on:
- Electric Vehicle Security
- Charging Infrastructure Security
- Building Energy Management Systems
- Cyber-Physical Systems
- Trusted Authentication
Techneaux Technology Services
Student Project Manager & Software Developer
2015
Managed development of a mobile Help Desk Ticketing System while serving as lead Android developer.
Also maintained and expanded internal business applications using Microsoft .NET and LightSwitch technologies.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Research Assistant – Andy-X Project
2013 – 2016
Conducted research involving Android-based robotic swarm technologies and autonomous coordination systems.
UL Lafayette Upward Bound Program
Web Development Instructor
2011 – 2014
Taught introductory web development courses to high school students through the Upward Bound Summer Enrichment Program.
Education
Master of Science in Computer Science
University of Louisiana at Lafayette • 2019
Areas of Research:
Cybersecurity • Electric Vehicles • Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Authentication • Cyber-Physical Systems
Thesis:
Improving Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Security Through Trusted Authentication: Application to Electric Vehicles
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
University of Louisiana at Lafayette • 2016
Minor: Psychology
Publications
Cyber-Physical System Security of Vehicle Charging Stations
Merchant, R., Gottumukkala, R., Tauzin, A., Leon, K., Roche, A., & Darby, P.
Published in the 2019 IEEE Green Technologies Conference (GreenTech), Lafayette, Louisiana.
Honors & Awards
Louisiana Clean Fuel Leader Award
Most Innovative Project of the Year (2017)
Awarded to the Diagnostic Security Module Team in collaboration
with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the Informatics
Research Institute, and Idaho National Laboratory.
Receiving the Louisiana Clean Fuel Leader Award for Most Innovative
Project of the Year on behalf of the Diagnostic Security Module
research team.
IEEE Region 5 East Area Student Paper Contest
Second Place (2015)
Awarded for the research paper:
Android Smartphone-Based Robotic Swarm Technology
National Society of Leadership and Success
Inducted November 2018
Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society
Inducted April 2018