Max Pinchinat received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from The City College Of New York in 2000, and his M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University – Whiting School of Engineering in 2004. Max started his started career at Goddard as a Co-Op student in 1997, with the RF Simulations and Compatibility Test Branch, developing Convolutional Encoders and Viterbi Decoders.

Upon graduation in 2000, Max joined the Goddard community as a full-time civil servant employee. While at Goddard, he’s worked on the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE)/Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), Thermal Infrared System (TIRS), and numerous Independent Research & Development (IRAD) efforts. His roles ranged from Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) programmer to board lead, to electronics box lead, to Product Development Lead (PDL), to Associate Branch Head, and then Branch Head of the Instrument Electronics Development Branch. As Branch Head, Max guided the advancement of Goddard’s instrument electronics development through his leadership, mentorship, and strategic vision. He currently holds the role of Branch Head of the Flight and Ground Systems Hardware Branch.

During his career at Goddard, Max has received numerous honors. He is the recipient of the Robert H. Goddard (RHG) Exceptional Achievement Award for Customer Service as an Instrument Subsystem Product Development Lead, the GSFC Electrical Engineering Division First Line Supervisor Excellence Award in 2022, a Group Achievement Award, several Performance and Special Acts awards, and has been awarded a patent.