After ten years at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), Joe Majdalani, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has accepted the appointment as the Chair of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Auburn University. His last day at UTSI was August 31, 2013.

“I have given UTSI ten of the most productive years of my life,” said Majdalani. “I hence look forward in establishing collaborations between Auburn and UT, which can bring new opportunities to our faculty and students. To have held two endowed professorships is among the most rewarding experiences of my career. More rewarding perhaps is the ability to witness the evolution of my students from junior engineers to world-class professionals.”

Leaving his position as an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Marquette University, Majdalani joined UTSI during August 2003 as the second Jack D. Whitfield Professor of High Speed Flows. He became the second Arnold Chair of Excellence in September 2007. During his tenure at UTSI, Majdalani coauthored 150 papers and graduated 24 Masters and Ph.D. students. He was instrumental in developing several new courses, including two short courses that are now offered internationally within the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); he presently serves on the AIAA Propulsion and Energy Steering Committee, and has been appointed Vice-Chair for the Hybrid Rocket Technical Committee.

Robert Moore, Executive Director of UTSI, commented “Professor Majdalani has been a remarkable representative of UTSI and the UT College of Engineering. Auburn is gaining a uniquely productive individual.”