Dr. Romy Hanna is a Research Scientist at the University of Texas High-Resolution X-ray CT Facility (UTCT) in Austin. Her research on primitive carbonaceous chondrite meteorites and asteroids aims to build a more complete picture of the formation conditions of this material in the early solar nebula, how it accreted from the chondrite parent bodies, and how it has been modified by secondary processes on these asteroids. She uses a variety of analytical techniques to address these questions including electron microbeam [including electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)], X-ray computed tomography (XCT), and visible to near infrared (VISNIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectroscopy, often combining these techniques in novel ways. Recent projects include using pressurize noble gas with XCT to examine porosity and EBSD to map micron-sized grain alignment in fine-grained chondrites. She is a Participating Scientist on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, on the sample return mission to near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid Bennu, and the PI of the NASA Planetary Science Enabling Facility grant to UTCT, which partially supports NASA PSD-funded researchers to use XCT for their research. She is also working to bring miniaturized XCT into space with a variety of landed mission concepts and instrument development efforts.

Paul is an international expert in biomechanics, comparative and translational neuroscience, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography imaging. He is an associate professor and Director of Global Graduate Programs at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. His methods development focuses on establishing cell-to-skull, 3D-imaging pipelines by integrating standard and novel anatomical visualization techniques. Paul's efforts are organized around collaboration and community building. He helped to launch diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT) for 3D soft-tissue imaging; he co-founded the MicroCT Imaging Consortium for Research and Outreach (MICRO) to serve the imaging needs of the U.S. Interior Highlands; and he co-organizes the global Non-Clinical Tomography Users Research Network (NoCTURN) to address FAIR and Open Science issues in the field. As a result, Paul has run dozens of workshops and lectured internationally about CT methodologies and applications, ensuring that CT users have resources and opportunities to address the educational needs and scientific questions most important to them.

A chemist by training, Dr. Sanchez's background encompasses both materials synthesis and characterization, specializing in the analysis of lithium-ion batteries and renewable energy catalytic processes. During his time at Exponent, he has worked on evaluating current and next-generation battery and energy storage technologies via quality analysis, performance and accelerated lifetime testing, cell design/materials evaluation and failure analysis. Dr. Sanchez is also skilled in a variety of both destructive and non-destructive characterization techniques, which he has applied to a variety of industries, including consumer electronics, chemicals, medical devices, transportation and aerospace. Besides his primary foci in high-resolution computed tomography X-ray (CT) scanning and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Dr. Sanchez also has extensive experience in various electrochemical (voltammetry, amperometry), microscopy (SEM/TEM, AFM), material properties (TGA, DSC, BET) and spectroscopic (XPS, XAS/XES, Auger, UV-Vis, Raman, XRD) techniques.