Slingshot Aerospace Taps Former TuSimple and Waymo Leader Adrian Thompson as Chief of AI & Data Science

Slingshot Aerospace, the leader in AI-powered space data, analytics, and simulation solutions, today announced the appointment of Adrian Thompson as Chief of Artificial Intelligence & Data Science.

Thompson is a veteran engineering and technology leader with more than 26 years of experience building advanced, safety-critical systems across autonomous vehicles, aerospace, industrial automation, and building systems. He has held senior roles at TuSimple, Waymo, Uber ATG, L3 Technologies, GE Aviation, and United Technologies Research Center, where he led global engineering teams driving innovation in autonomy, intelligent systems, sensing, verification and validation, and large-scale testing.

Known for transforming complex technical environments, Thompson has a strong track record of modernizing engineering processes, aligning AI and systems development with enterprise strategy, and delivering mission-critical capabilities at scale across globally distributed teams.

As Chief of AI & Data Science, Thompson will oversee Slingshot’s AI strategy and development, ensuring the company’s AI foundation is reliable, secure, and tightly integrated across its data, analytics, and modeling products.

“Adrian brings the rare combination of deep technical expertise and operational discipline needed to build AI systems that must perform flawlessly in high-stakes environments,” said Tim Solms, Chief Executive Officer of Slingshot Aerospace. “His leadership will accelerate our work to deliver next-generation AI for space domain awareness and operational decision-making.”

Thompson holds a Ph.D. in Control Engineering from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Process Engineering from the University of the West Indies.

Slingshot Aerospace is hiring across multiple teams. To join the AI revolution in space, visit slingshot.space/careers.

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