The professorship honors individuals with exceptional achievements in research, teaching, and service to aerospace engineering.
The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering (AE School) has appointed Professor Marilyn Smith (AE 1982, M.S. AE 1985, Ph.D. AE 1994) as the David S. Lewis Professorship, named after the visionary leader in aerospace engineering whose legacy continues to inspire discovery and excellence.
Not only do Lewis and Smith share a legacy of innovation in aerodynamics, but they both hail from North Augusta, a small town in South Carolina and call Georgia Tech their alma mater.
“Professor Marilyn Smith’s selection for this honor is well deserved not only for her significant impact in innovation and research excellence, but also her dedication to student success.” said Mitchell Walker, William R.T. Oakes, Jr. School Chair.
The professorship is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in research, teaching, and service to the aerospace engineering community.
As the David S. Lewis Professor, Smith will continue to lead groundbreaking research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges in rotorcraft and aerodynamics.
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This means a lot to me as I have worked hard not only to advance my own career and role model as GTAE's first woman faculty member, but to advance the AE School and Georgia Tech, and I’m honored that Dr. Walker has recognized me for my efforts
Professor Marilyn Smith
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“This means a lot to me as I have worked hard not only to advance my own career and role model as GTAE's first woman faculty member, but to advance the AE School and Georgia Tech, and I’m honored that Dr. Walker has recognized me for my efforts,” said Smith.
The Triple Yellow Jacket joined the AE School faculty in 1997 and over the course of her 27-year tenure she’s become an invaluable leader and mentor to students, researchers, and early-career faculty members, as well as an industry expert.
She has, alone and with academic and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) partnerships, been awarded multiple research funds totaling more than $200 million dollars.Smith has led the Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence (VLRCOE) as the director since 2019. Under her leadership the VLRCOE excelled and expanded its research and network of experts more than ever before.
She is internationally renowned in the areas of computational fluid dynamics, aeroelasticity, and unsteady aerodynamics. She has had the honor of delivering the 2022 Vertical Flighty Society Nikolsky Lecture and more recently delivered the 61st Lanchester Memorial Lecture by the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2023.
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A Legacy of Lifting Others Up and Breaking Barriers Along the Way
Professor Marilyn Smith was often overlooked and told ‘no’ simply because of her gender, but found support along the way, which propelled her to become one of the leading researchers in vertical lift.
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