• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)

  • / science /
    • science overview
    • cosmology and dark energy
    • redshifts and distance
    • mapping the universe
    • the DESI science mission
    • the DESI survey
    • imaging surveys
  • / instrument /
    • instrument overview
    • telescope
      • tohono o’odham
    • corrector
    • focal plane system
    • fiber system
    • spectrograph
    • instrument control system
    • data systems
    • bringing DESI to life
      • commissioning Instrument
      • protoDESI
  • / collaboration /
    • DESI team
    • DESI builders
    • collaborating institutions
    • sponsors
    • vendors
    • diversity, equity, and inclusion
    • collaboration policies
  • / press /
    • announcements
    • in the news
    • press releases
    • blog
    • tweets by desisurvey
    • acknowledgement statement
  • / galleries /
    • image gallery
    • videos
  • / for scientists /
    • instrument design
    • imaging data
    • target selection and survey validation
    • theory and simulations
    • other DESI science
    • all DESI papers
    • team login
    • request a DESI speaker
    • internal
  • / education & outreach /
    • meet a DESI member
    • blog
    • planetarium show
    • DESI high
    • interactive visualizations
    • swag shop

David Sprayberry

July 2, 2020 by



What is your role in the DESI project?
I manage the work at the Mayall Telescope in support of the DESI project. During the installation phase, this consisted of daily oversight and planning updates for the installation work plan. Now that installation is complete, I coordinate the daytime work of the engineering and technical staff with the nighttime science observing. In doing this, I work closely with Klaus Honscheid, Paul Martini, Connie Rockosi, and many others.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?
I was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Before coming to NOIRLab, I’ve lived in three different countries across ten different time zones. I live now in Tucson, Arizona, USA. In normal times, I spend roughly half my time in the NOIRLab offices and the other half at the telescope on Kitt Peak.

What would you say is the most interesting or exciting thing about your job?
The most interesting thing is the constant flood of opportunities to learn new things. I’ve absorbed so much about new technologies for instruments from the DESI project, that I sometimes forget all the fascinating cosmology that I’ve learned as well. The most exciting thing is the chance to contribute to a science product that will have enormous lasting value to the cosmology and astrophysics communities. And the most fun thing is working with so many people from so many different backgrounds who know so much more than I do about what they’re doing. DESI project people are always fascinating to talk to!

Any advice for aspiring scientists?
1) Stay curious; always wonder “what?” and “how?” and “why?”
2) Don’t ever be afraid to talk to people you don’t know. That’s how you learn.
3) Don’t get discouraged. Most things or ideas don’t work the first time. Keep trying anyway.

Finally, what do you do for fun ?
I enjoy bicycling, hiking, going for walks, dining out, and being with my family especially outdoors.

Filed Under: meet a DESI member

Primary Sidebar

meet more members

  • Paul Martini
  • Sandy Yuan
  • Vaisakh Rajeev
  • Hector Gil Marín
  • Zack Slepian
  • Rongpu Zhou
  • Fei Qin
  • Mehdi Rezaie
  • Rossana Ruggeri
  • Ben Weaver
  • Hee-Jong Seo
  • Andreu Font-Ribera
  • Joe DeRose
  • Mariana Vargas Magaña
  • Angela Berti
  • Abby Bault
  • Adam Myers
  • Jesse Golden-Marx
  • Patrick Dunlop
  • Elise Darragh-Ford
  • Minji Oh
  • Jessica Harris
  • Boris Gaensicke
  • Victoria Fawcett
  • Kevin Fanning
  • Lehman Garrison
  • Hanyu Zhang
  • Omar A. Ruiz Macias
  • Seshadri Nadathur
  • Ignasi Pérez i Ràfols
  • Santiago Serrano Elorduy
  • Biprateep Dey
  • Claire Lamman
  • Kyle Dawson
  • Eddie Schlafly
  • Otger Ballester
  • Aaron Meisner
  • Antonella Palmese
  • Andrea Muñoz Gutiérrez
  • David Sprayberry
  • Dustin Lang
  • Tamara Davis
  • Jahmour Givans
  • John Moustakas
  • Pauline Zarrouk
  • Hu Zou
  • Christian Soto
  • Sarah E.
  • Duan Yutong
  • Michael Wilson
  • Tammie Lavoie
  • James Farr
  • Steve Kent
  • Srivatsan Sridhar
  • Jessica Aguilar
  • Alma Xochitl Gonzalez Morales
  • Charles-Antoine Claveau
  • Christopher Manser
  • Richard Joyce
  • Tami Blackwell

Footer

TEAM LOGIN

twitter   instagram   facebook

Copyright © 2018 Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument [DESI]

Copyright © 2023 · Parallax Pro DESI on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in