Rodrigo Ibacache

Rodrigo Ibacache is a Visiting Senior Faculty Specialist in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, College Park, working as a Research Scientist for NASA through the CRESST program. Affiliated with the High Energy Astrophysics Branch, he supports the NASA Atomic Spectroscopy Database by managing bibliographic monitoring, archiving, and high-precision data generation. His work includes digitizing foundational documents, maintaining a traceable bibliographic database linked to original publications, and compiling complex atomic tables for specific ions.
A military veteran, Rodrigo served as a Section Chief in the U.S. Marine Corps, leading an artillery unit overseas and earning multiple honors, including the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. After his military service, he worked as an IT Specialist for the National Weather Service (NOAA) and as an Information Specialist in the Atomic Spectroscopy group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He co-authored several NIST bibliographic databases on atomic spectra and holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Information Systems.
Rodrigo thrives on collaborating with top-tier NASA experts to tackle evolving scientific challenges. In his free time, he enjoys tennis, bowling, video games, sci-fi movies, and traveling.