Dr. Valenzuela started his engineering journey at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). At the university, he worked at the Aerospace Center, where he was the Team Lead for the Green Propulsion Small Sat Team. Under the direction of Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri, Dr. Valenzuela contributed to various publications and collaborations with NASA. As part of a CAN agreement between MSFC and UTEP, Dr. Valenzuela interned at MSFC, assisting in the testing of a 1N ASCENT thruster. At the university, Dr. Valenzuela received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering for his dissertation, Testing of a 1 Newton AF-M315E Thruster using a Silicon Carbide Substrate Catalyst. After graduation, Dr. Valenzuela started to work at the GRC Chemical and Thermal Propulsion Systems (LTR) branch. He is currently the Orion ESM Main Engine Lead for Artemis III-VI. In addition to his Orion position, he is the primary engineering contact for providing insight and information for Green Propulsion projects at LTR.