Robert D. Braun
May 4, 2012
Robert D. Braun is the David and Andrew Lewis Professor of Space Technology and director of the Space Systems Design Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He leads an active research and educational program focused on the design of advanced flight systems and technologies for planetary exploration and has contributed to the design, development, test, and operation of several robotic space flight systems.
Previously, Braun was a leader and senior manager for multiple, large engineering organizations at NASA. From 2010 to 2011, he served as the first NASA chief technologist in more than a decade. In this capacity, he was the senior agency executive for technology and innovation policy and programs, reporting directly to the NASA administrator.
Braun earned a B.S. in aerospace engineering from Penn State in 1987, an M.S. in astronautics from George Washington University in 1989, and a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1996.
He has received the 2011 AIAA von Karman Astronautics Award, 1999 AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals, two NASA Inventions and Contributions Team Awards, and eight NASA Group Achievement Awards. He is Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the principle author or coauthor of more than 200 technical publications in the fields of atmospheric flight dynamics, planetary exploration, multidisciplinary design optimization, and systems engineering.
