The mechanical and aerospace engineering department has named Dr. Serhat Hosder, professor of aerospace engineering, the inaugural holder of the James A. Drallmeier Centennial Professorship. The accolade celebrates Drallmeier’s excellence in leadership.

Hosder was selected by a committee of named professors in and outside the department, with confirmation of the dean and approval of the provost. He was formally presented with the professorship during the 28th Missouri S&T Academy of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers Induction Ceremony held Oct. 26.

Drallmeier is a Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T. While serving as department chair from 2011 to 2019, Drallmeier’s leadership contributed to the growth and reputation of the largest academic unit of Missouri S&T — research expenditures doubled, the number of Ph.D. students tripled, and a third of the tenure-track faculty he hired received an NSF CAREER award or an Office of Naval Research/Air Force Research Laboratory Young Faculty award.

Hosder joined Missouri S&T in 2007 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2013 and professor in 2019. He also serves as director of S&T’s Aerospace Simulations Laboratory.

He is a hypersonics expert and has been awarded multiple large grants to support his research. A study published by Stanford University lists Hosder as among the top 2% of aerospace engineers whose research has been cited by others throughout his career.

Hosder is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He was chair of the AIAA Hypersonic Technologies and Space Planes (HyTASP) Technical Committee from 2019-2021 and currently serves on its steering committee.