Dr. Maya has been the Director of Research for the National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) at the University of Southern California (USC) since 2005. He has led its fundamental and applied research in homeland security, with over 150 projects conducted by 154 researchers and 30 subcontractors. Dr. Maya is experienced in both academic and industrial research and development, product development, and technology transfer and commercialization. As a senior researcher with technical leadership, he specializes in multi/interdisciplinary R&D, ranging in scope from analysis of terrorism events to information technologies and systems to advanced nuclear power reactor systems.

Prior to CREATE, he was Director of the Industry and Technology Transfer Programs at USC’s Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC), an NSF Engineering Research Center, where he increased technology transfer, licensing and commercialization of prototype technologies, instilled entrepreneurial culture among faculty, increased awareness for patent protection of intellectual property, and facilitated creation of spin-off companies.

Dr. Maya has also been a business entrepreneur since 1988, serving as CEO/President of three start-ups, two in the computer industry and one in the water vending industry. His industrial experience includes serving as Director of Engineering and Product Development at a midsize manufacturing company in Ontario, CA, and he worked on advanced fusion reactor design at General Atomics in San Diego, CA. He has 10 inventions in the chemical engineering, electronics, medical, and nuclear fields.

Dr. Maya has served in key executive management capacity during the start-up and growth of four new major university centers. Before USC’s two Centers, Dr. Maya was the founding Executive Program Manager of the Center for the Commercial Deployment of Transportation Technologies (CCDoTT), a DoD TRANSCOM program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). He also served on the start-up team and as Associate Director of the Innovative Nuclear Space Power Institute at the University of Florida, a DoD AFRL center.

Dr. Maya received his doctorate in Nuclear Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida, and is a registered Professional Engineer (Nuclear). He was an Astronaut Candidate Finalist in 1992.