About

Born and raised in Tucson, AZ, also known as optics valley, Kirk Tompkinson was exposed to the magic of light at a very young age. His natural curiosity and love of science drove him to pursue a career in engineering.

In 2014 he graduated with a Bachelors in Optical Engineering from the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. He started making meaningful contributions in his field even before his graduation when he was an intern at Arete Associates, who he later worked for as a full-time engineer. At Arete he was part of a team developing cutting edge light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology.

After briefly working for Raytheon Missile Systems he headed to Eglin Air Force Base where he was instrumental in maintaining a key hardware in the loop (HITL) testing facility. He also played a vital role in improving and modernizing that facility with updated hardware, software, and procedures. Furthermore, he played a pivotal role in helping his leadership look for new and novel methods that could ensure the continued success of the facility.