George Schmidt

Dr. George Schmidt is the Deputy Director of the Research and Technology Directorate at NASA Glenn Research Center. His organization conducts a broad range of research and technology development projects in space propulsion, aeropropulsion, power, communications, materials and structures, instrumentation and physical sciences. Dr. Schmidt also served as Acting Chief Technologist for NASA Glenn, and has served on several agency-wide technology initiatives in the areas of space exploration, advanced propulsion and power. Prior to these assignments, he served as Manager of the Propulsion Research Center at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, where he led a variety of cutting-edge research projects covering a broad range of advanced propulsion technologies. He also served as Deputy Manager of Marshall’s Test Laboratory, where he directed operation of major rocket, vacuum and structural test facilities. Dr. Schmidt spent several years at NASA Headquarters serving as the Program Executive for Nuclear Power Systems, and oversaw development of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) and other nuclear power technologies for NASA missions. Dr. Schmidt earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, an M.S. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he was an adjunct professor and taught a course in advanced propulsion. Dr. Schmidt is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and has served on several of its technical committees, including chairing the Nuclear and Future Flight Propulsion Technical Committee. He holds a patent and has authored over 70 publications in the areas of propulsion, cryogenic and microgravity fluid mechanics, and nuclear power and advanced high-energy propulsion.