Prior to moving to the University of Alaska, Dr. McCoy served jointly as the Program Manager for space science and technology programs at the Office of Naval Research in Arlington VA, and Technical Director for the Operationally Responsive Space Office in Albuquerque, NM.  The joint ORS Office was legislated by Congress to make the necessary investments to increase the speed and lower the cost for space systems for the Department of Defense.  Dr. McCoy was the manager of the Tactical Space Innovative Naval Prototype program, which funded the development and spaceflight of microsatellites to demonstrate maritime for the Navy. 

Dr. McCoy began federal service as a captain, U. S. Army Ordnance, assigned to the Naval Research Laboratory as a Science Liaison Officer. He became a research physicist with the Lab and led a team of scientists and engineers to build more than 23 instruments for flight on sounding rockets, the Space Shuttle, experimental and DoD operational satellite platforms. In the mid 90’s Dr. McCoy came to Office of Naval Research to manage its space science and technology program. 

Dr. McCoy received his A.B. in Physics from Cornell University, his M.S. in Physics from Texas A&M and his Ph.D. in Astro-Geophysics from the University of Colorado. Dr. McCoy is the author on more than 70 publications in scientific and technical journals. He received the NRL 75th Anniversary Innovator Award, the Rotary International Stellar Award, two Alan Berman Publication Awards and Group Achievement Awards from the Naval Research Lab and NASA.