Mitchell L.R. Walker II
Dr. Walker's primary research interests lie in electric propulsion, plasma physics, and hypersonic aerodynamics/plasma interaction. He has extensive design and testing experience with Hall thrusters and ion engines. Dr. Walker has performed seminal work in Hall thruster clustering, vacuum chamber facility effects, plasma-material interactions, and electron emission from carbon nanotubes. His current research activities involve both theoretical and experimental work in advanced spacecraft propulsion systems, diagnostics (including THz time-domain spectroscopy and Thomson scattering), plasma physics, helicon plasma sources, magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, and pulsed inductive thrusters. Dr. Walker also teaches the undergraduate Jet & Rocket Propulsion course, as well as the graduate level Rocket Propulsion, Electric Propulsion, and Gasdynamics courses.
Lab/Collaborations:
- High-Power Electric Propulsion Laboratory (HPEPL)
- Ben T. Zinn Combustion Laboratory
- Institute for Materials
Disciplines:
- Propulsion & Combustion
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Space Exploration and Earth Monitoring
- Sustainable Transportation and Energy Systems
Mentor Expertise Areas
Aerodynamics or Fluid Mechanics
Propulsion Systems for Aircraft or Spacecraft
Space Systems
Mentor Focus Areas
Advice related to graduate school
Advice related to maximizing success at GT
General career mentoring
B.S.E., Aerospace Engineering, 1999, University of Michigan; M.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2000, University of Michigan; Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, 2004, University of Michigan;
- Provost’s Emerging Leaders Program, 2017
- Georgia Power Professor of Excellence Award, 2017
- National Academy of Engineering Symposium on Exploring a New Vision for Center-Based, Multidisciplinary Engineering Research, 2016
- National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering Symposium Organizing Committee, Co-organizer for the session “Engineering the Search for Earth-like Exoplanets,” 2015
- National Academy of Engineering US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium – Participant, 2014
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – Associate Fellow, 2011
- Lawrence Sperry Award, 2010
- AFOSR Young Investigator Program Award, 2006
- NASA Faculty Fellow, 2005
- Class of 1969 Teaching Fellow, 2005