Prior to medical school, he was a mechanical engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the International Space Station (ISS) specializing in Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) systems, and was lead engineer for the Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC). Dr. Zahner plans to continue his career at UTMB in coagulation, laboratory informatics, and the diagnostic management team (DMT).