Dr. Mark J. Lewis is Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He serves as chief scientific adviser to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, and provides assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission.

Dr. Lewis received his professional education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently on leave from his position as Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, and as Director of the Space Vehicles Technology Institute, College Park, Md. Dr. Lewis has conducted basic and applied research in, and taught many aspects of, hypersonic aerodynamics, advanced propulsion, space vehicle design and optimization. His work has spanned the aerospace flight spectrum from the analysis of conventional jet engines to entry into planetary atmospheres at hypervelocity speeds. A frequent collaborator with both government and industry, his research activities have contributed directly to several NASA and Department of Defense programs in the areas of high-speed vehicle and spacecraft design.

Dr. Lewis is the author of more than 275 technical publications and adviser to more than 60 graduate students. He is active in national and international professional societies, with responsibilities for both research and educational policy and support. In addition, he has served on various advisory boards for the Air Force and DOD, including the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, where he participated in several summer studies and chaired a number of science and technology reviews of the Air Force Research Laboratory.

EDUCATION
1984 Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
1984 Bachelor of Science degree in earth and planetary science, MIT
1985 Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics, MIT
1988 Doctor of Science, MIT

CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 1988 - 1999, Assistant Professor, later, Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
2. 1999 - 2004, Professor and Associate Chair of Aerospace Engineering, A. James Clark School of Engineering, UMCP
3. 2002 - 2004, Director, Space Vehicle Technology Institute, College Park, MD
4. 2004 - present, Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

AWARDS AND HONORS
1984 Henry Webb Salisbury Award, MIT
1984 Office of Naval Research Fellow
1989 E. Robert Kent Teaching Award
1992 A. James Clark Service Award
1994 National Capital Section Young Scientist/Engineer of the Year, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
1997 Aerospace Professor of the Year, University of Maryland
1998 Abe Zarem Award mentor, AIAA
2004 Meritorious Civilian Service Award
2007 Best Paper in Conference, International Congress on Instrumentation in Aerospace
2007 Energy Systems Lifetime Achievement Award, AIAA
2007 Aviation Week & Space Technology Laureate

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Fellow, National Institute of Aerospace

borrowed from Air Force Link