The College of Engineering at Georgia Tech has appointed Mitchell L.R. Walker II as its next dean and Southern Company Chair, effective June 15.
Walker currently serves as the William R.T. Oakes Jr. School Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering and has held several leadership roles, including associate chair for graduate studies and associate dean for academic affairs.
He is recognized for fostering collaboration across schools to develop impactful programs, such as the interdisciplinary Minor in Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Walker played a key role in securing $88 million in state funding for a new Aerospace Engineering Building by leading coordinated advocacy efforts.
A leader in advanced propulsion research, Walker focuses on plasma propulsion for spacecraft and directs Georgia Tech’s High-Power Electric Propulsion Laboratory.
He is also principal investigator and director of the $15 million Joint Advanced Propulsion Institute (JANUS), a NASA Space Technology Research Institute that advances ground testing for high-power electric propulsion systems.
Walker is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, serves on its Electric Propulsion Technical Committee, and holds editorial positions with several scientific journals.
He has provided expert testimony to the House Space Subcommittee and has received multiple honors, including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award, the AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award, the AIAA Sustained Service Award, and the Georgia Power Professor of Excellence Award.