Mark J. Lewis
Encyclopedia
Dr. Mark J. Lewis was the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force
, Washington, D.C.
from 2004 to 2008 and was the longest-serving Chief Scientist in Air Force history. He served as chief scientific adviser to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, and provided assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission. In this role he identified and analyzed technical issues and brought them to attention of Air Force leaders, and interacted with other Air Staff principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science & technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions. His primary areas of focus included energy, sustainment, long-range strike technologies, advanced propulsion systems, and workforce development.
He additionally interacted with other services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on issues affecting the Air Force in-house technical enterprise. He also served on the Steering Committee and Senior Review Group of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board
(SAB), and was the principal science and technology representative of the Air Force to the civilian scientific and engineering community and to the public at large. He is currently a member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
Dr. Lewis is currently the Willis Young, Jr. Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and chair of the Aerospace Engineering department. He is also the president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA). He is an author of over 280 technical publications and advisor to more than 60 graduate students. He is active in national and international professional societies, with responsibilities for both research and educational policy and support. In addition, he has served on various advisory boards for the Air Force and DOD, including two terms on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, where he participated in several summer studies and chaired a number of science and technology reviews of the Air Force Research Laboratory. He is an adjunct with the Institute for Defense Analysis.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lewis received two Bachelor of Science degrees (in aeronautics and astronautics and in earth and planetary science), and Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees in aeronautics and astronautics. He is a fellow of the AIAA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a President's Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and was named an aerospace Laureate by the editors of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine for his pioneering efforts in promoting research and development of high-speed flight.
Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force
The Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is a three-star equivalent civilian member of Headquarters Air Force and in this role is the most senior Science & Technology representative in the U.S. Air Force. The current Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is Dr. Mark T...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from 2004 to 2008 and was the longest-serving Chief Scientist in Air Force history. He served as chief scientific adviser to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, and provided assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission. In this role he identified and analyzed technical issues and brought them to attention of Air Force leaders, and interacted with other Air Staff principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science & technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions. His primary areas of focus included energy, sustainment, long-range strike technologies, advanced propulsion systems, and workforce development.
He additionally interacted with other services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on issues affecting the Air Force in-house technical enterprise. He also served on the Steering Committee and Senior Review Group of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board
USAF Scientific Advisory Board
The United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board is a military unit that provides forecasts of long-range science and technology.-Chronology:...
(SAB), and was the principal science and technology representative of the Air Force to the civilian scientific and engineering community and to the public at large. He is currently a member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
Biography
Dr. Lewis joined the faculty of the Aerospace Engineering department of the Clark School at the University of Maryland in College Park in August 1988. He has conducted basic and applied research in, and taught many aspects of, hypersonic aerodynamics, advanced propulsion, and space vehicle design and optimization. His work has spanned the aerospace flight spectrum, from the analysis of conventional jet engines to entry into planetary atmospheres at hypervelocity speeds. His research activities have contributed directly to several NASA and Department of Defense programs in the areas of high-speed vehicle and spacecraft design. Lewis was the founder of the Center for Hypersonics Education and Research, and later the NASA-Air Force Constellation University Institutes Project.Dr. Lewis is currently the Willis Young, Jr. Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and chair of the Aerospace Engineering department. He is also the president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
(AIAA). He is an author of over 280 technical publications and advisor to more than 60 graduate students. He is active in national and international professional societies, with responsibilities for both research and educational policy and support. In addition, he has served on various advisory boards for the Air Force and DOD, including two terms on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, where he participated in several summer studies and chaired a number of science and technology reviews of the Air Force Research Laboratory. He is an adjunct with the Institute for Defense Analysis.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lewis received two Bachelor of Science degrees (in aeronautics and astronautics and in earth and planetary science), and Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees in aeronautics and astronautics. He is a fellow of the AIAA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a President's Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and was named an aerospace Laureate by the editors of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine for his pioneering efforts in promoting research and development of high-speed flight.
Education
- 1984 Bachelor of Science (SB), Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- 1984 Bachelor of Science (SB), Earth and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- 1985 Master of Sciece, (S.M), Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- 1988 Doctor of Science (ScD), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Career chronology
- 1988–1999, Assistant Professor, later, Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
- 1999–2004, Professor and Associate Chair of Aerospace Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
- 2002–2004, Director, Space Vehicle Technology Institute, College Park, Md.
- 2004–2008, Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
- 2008 – present, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
- 2009 – present, Chair of Aerospace Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
- 2009–2010, President-elect, American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsThe American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
- 2010 – present, President, American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsThe American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
Awards and honors
- 1984 Henry Webb Salisbury Award, MIT
- 1984 Office of Naval Research Fellow
- 1989 E. Robert Kent Teaching Award
- 1992 A. James Clark Service Award*
- 1994 National Capital Section Young Scientist/Engineer of the Year, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- 1997 Aerospace Professor of the Year, University of Maryland
- 1998 Abe Zarem Award mentor, AIAA
- 2004 Meritorious Civilian Service Award
- 2004 Exceptional Civilian Service Award
- 2007 Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate
- IECEC/AIAA Lifetime Achievement Award
Professional memberships and associations
- National Institute of AerospaceNational Institute of AerospaceThe National Institute of Aerospace is a non-profit research and graduate education institute headquartered in Hampton, Virginia, near NASA's Langley Research Center...
, (Fellow) - American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsThe American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
(Fellow) - Royal Aeronautical SocietyRoyal Aeronautical SocietyThe Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
(President's Fellow) - American Society of Mechanical EngineersAmerican Society of Mechanical EngineersThe American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
(Fellow)