Patrick Cross (PhD, Meteorology, Naval Postgraduate School), completed a 20-year Naval officer career in submarines and meteorology/oceanography in 2006, culminating in a tour as Force Oceanographer for the Pacific submarine force based at Pearl Harbor.  For the next several years, he worked with a small company managing Navy-funded research projects related to underwater acoustics, including the use of autonomous vehicles and advanced signal processing.

Cross joined HNEI in the fall of 2013, initially to manage proposal efforts related to a new infusion of Navy funds to support the Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) off Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i at Kāne‘ohe.  He is serving as program manager for this effort, coordinating research plans, providing site management assistance to U.S. Navy and Department of Energy sponsors, and developing new proposals relating to wave energy advancement.  Additionally, Dr. Cross has undertaken the management of other HNEI projects related to renewable energy generation, including efforts in photovoltaic test beds, and solar forecasting.