Dr. K.M. Isaac has been named director of the NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium. Created in 1991, the Missouri Consortium of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program is sponsored by NASA through a cooperative agreement and is led by Missouri S&T. The consortium has seven affiliate member institutions and six associate member institutions in Missouri.

Isaac supersedes Dr. S.N. Balakrishnan, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of aerospace engineering, who passed away in January.

Isaac is a professor of aerospace engineering at Missouri S&T. His research is in aerodynamics and fluid dynamics, and his past research topics include waveriders and low-Reynolds-number aerodynamics. He is currently working on a medium-endurance, low-altitude, solar-powered UAV for Mars deployment, and blast-wave-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) which is of interest to NASA to protect personnel from potential launch pad explosions. He is currently collaborating with a colleague in civil engineering to investigate dust-laden tornadoes on Mars known as “dust devils.”

Isaac joined the S&T faculty as a visiting assistant professor of aerospace engineering in 1982. He has served as associate chair of aerospace engineering, director of the department’s honors program, and coordinator of the department’s Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience program. He also serves as an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Isaac earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering in 1971 and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering in 1973, both from Indian Institute of Technology. He earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1982.