Brian C Gunter
Dr. Gunter is an associate professor in aerospace engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Rice University, and later his M.S. and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in orbital mechanics. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Dr. Gunter was on the faculty of the Delft University of Technology (TU-Delft) in the Netherlands, as a member of the Physical and Space Geodesy section. His research activities involve various aspects of spacecraft missions and their applications, such as investigations into current and future laser altimetry missions, monitoring changes in the polar ice sheets using satellite data, applications of satellite constellations/formations, and topics surrounding kinematic orbit determination. He has been responsible for both undergraduate and graduate courses on topics such as satellite orbit determination, Earth and planetary observation, scientific applications of GPS, and space systems design. He is currently a member of the AIAA Astrodynamics Technical Committee, and also serves as the Geodesy chair for the Fall AGU Meeting Program Committee. He has received a NASA group achievement award for his work on the GRACE mission, and he is also a former recipient of a NASA Earth System Science Graduate Fellowship. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a member of both the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the International Association of Geodesy (IAG).
Professor Gunter's teaching interests include core aerospace engineering subjects at undergraduate and graduate levels, emphasizing fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, and experimental methods. He aims to develop students' analytical and practical skills through classroom instruction and hands-on laboratory experiences. His instruction often integrates principles of fluid dynamics with experimental techniques to prepare students for advanced study and professional practice in aerospace and related fields.
Professor Gunter's research focuses on experimental and computational fluid dynamics with applications to transitional and turbulent flows. His work seeks to enhance understanding of fundamental flow physics through the development and application of measurement and analysis techniques. Research efforts include studying boundary layer transition, flow instabilities, and turbulence modeling to improve predictive capabilities relevant to aerospace systems and fluid mechanics.
Lab/Collaborations:
- Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL)
Disciplines:
- Systems Design & Optimization
- Flight Mechanics & Controls
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Robotics, Autonomy, and Human Interactions
- Space Exploration and Earth Monitoring
- B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1994, Rice University
- M.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2000, The University of Texas at Austin;
- Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, 2004, The University of Texas at Austin;
Elected in 2020 to the status of Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Visiting Research Fellow, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK, 2011; NASA Earth System Science Graduate Fellowship, 2002-2004; NASA Group Achievement Award, GRACE Project Team, 2004; Dolores Zohr b Liebmann Graduate Fellowship, 2000-2003; Earl Wright Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Engineering, 2000-2001;
- SP Crum, BC Gunter, M Borowitz, Cislunar orbit collision probability analysis, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 1-9, 2025
- N Jagdish, BC Gunter, Feasibility study of a cold gas-propelled autonomous surveying vehicle for lunar environments, Frontiers in Space Technologies 6, 1534477, 2025
- G Badura, E Arunkumar, M Velez-Reyes, B Gunter, K Ho, Uncertainty-Aware Physics-Informed Machine Learning (PIML) for Cislunar Orbit Determination, The Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance (AMOS) Technologies …, 2025
- GP Badura, E Arunkumar, M Velez-Reyes, B Gunter, K Ho, Convergence and Uncertainty of Physics-Informed Machine Learning for Cislunar Orbit Determination, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets 62 (6), 2212-2231, 2025
- KA Lee, BC Gunter, Using Clock Frequency Comparison for Deep Space Navigation, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 1-14, 2025