Robert McMahan

Robert K. McMahan (born 1961) is an accomplished American physicist, professor, and entrepreneur who is the seventh and current president of Kettering University.[1][2]

Robert K. McMahan
7th President of Kettering University
In office August 1, 2011 – Present
Preceded by	Stanley R. Liberty
Personal details
Born	1961 (age 58–59) Florida, USA
Spouse(s)	Karen McMahan
Alma mater	Duke University Dartmouth College
Profession	Professor of Physics, Academic Administrator
Institutions	Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Dartmouth College University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Western Carolina University Kettering University
Website	Office of the President

Biography and career

Academic

McMahan received undergraduate degrees in Physics and the History of Art from Duke University in 1982 and a Ph.D. in Physics from Dartmouth in 1986 under Gary Wegner. After a postdoctoral appointment at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics under Margaret Geller (1986-1989), and while also engaged in a number of corporate and public sector roles (see Corporate and Public below), he served as a research professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1989-2008[3] as well as a visiting scholar at Oxford University and the University of Durham (UK). He joined Western Carolina University in 2008 as the founding dean of the Kimmel School and Professor of Engineering[4] prior to becoming the seventh president of Kettering University in 2011, where he also holds an appointment as a tenured Professor of Physics.[1]

McMahan is known for computational modeling and observational work in white dwarf stars early in his career, then later for work in cosmology and extragalactic astronomy.[5] As a graduate student he was involved with the Seven Samurai research group that postulated the existence of the Great Attractor.[6][7] This effort resulted in the development of a methodology of estimating the distance to galaxies which, when applied, has become one of the most reliable ways to measure the total mass density of the universe. As a postdoc at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics under Margaret Geller he participated in research that resulted in the development of maps of the large-scale structure of the universe, which led to the discovery of the Great Wall. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

He was a member of the EFAR project, a detailed study of the peculiar velocity distribution of a large number elliptical-rich galaxy clusters.[5] At the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics he developed 3d visualization software that was used in the 40-minute film, So Many Galaxies...So Little Time, which was on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

He has published over 50 articles in astronomy and astrophysics, engineering and public policy and holds five US patents.[5][13]

McMahan assumed the position of President of Kettering University on August 1, 2011.[14]

Corporate and Public

While at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, McMahan founded McMahan Research Laboratories, an applied physics systems research and development firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1988, which relocated to the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina in 1989 and later was acquired in 2000 by Gretag-Macbeth.[15] He then joined In-Q-Tel, a private venture capital organization funded by the CIA, and afterward served as the Senior Advisor to the Governor of North Carolina for Science and Technology, and the Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology from 2003-2008[16] where he led the development of significant state and national innovation, investment capital, and technology based economic development policies and legislation,[17][18][19] and was a frequent international speaker on academic entrepreneurship and on the role of universities in economic development.[20][21][22][23]

Personal

McMahan has been married to the former Karen Deschamps, a graduate of McGill University, since 1989. They have two children.

References

1. "New President Named". Kettering University. Jun 13, 2011.
2. Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 54 (Monday, April 16, 2012).
3. Smith, Jason. "A New Telescope Sets Its Sights on Blue Heaven". UNC Global, Endeavors Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
4. "State technology adviser McMahan appointed dean of Kimmel School". Western Carolina University. January 25, 2008.
5. SAO/NASA ADS at SAO: ADS Abstract Service
6. Dressler, Alan. Voyage to the Great Attractor: Exploring Intergalactic Space. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
7. Donald Lynden-Bell
8. Frontline, Jan 1, 2010, "In 1989, Margaret Geller and John Huchra, on the basis of redshift survey data, discovered the presence of the Great (Galactic) Wall..."
9. Booth, William (November 18, 1989). "Vast Sheet of Galaxies Found In the Far Reaches of Space;'Great Wall' Largest Structure Detected in Universe".
10. Charles Choi. That Wall in China Is Nothing, Science, 24 October 2003
11. Guth, Alan (1997). The Inflationary Universe: The Quest for a New Theory of Cosmic Origins - Alan H. Guth - Google Boeken. ISBN 9780201328400. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
12. M. J. Geller & J. P. Huchra, Science 246, 897 (1989).
13. "Biography". Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
14. "History of the Presidency". Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
15. Gretag–Macbeth, once a subsidiary of Kollmorgen, has subsequently gone through a series of mergers, reorganizations, and acquisitions. The name now belongs to Danaher Corporation.
16. Governor's senior adviser has his job down to a science. The Business Journal July 3, 2006.
17. North Carolina Creates SBIR/STTR Incentive, Matching Program
18. Triangle Business Journal. May 26, 2006
19. "Tar Heel of the Week". Raleigh News & Observer. October 19, 2003.
20. Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks: Global Best Practice: Report of a Symposium. The National Academies Press (2009).
21. Milken Institute Global Conference (2007).
22. State Science and Technology Policy Advice: Issues, Opportunities, and Challenges: Summary of a National Convocation. The National Academies Press (2008).
23. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (2006).

External links

• Office of the President | Kettering University

Academic offices
Preceded by Stanley R. Liberty	Presidents of Kettering University 1 August 2011 - present	Succeeded by N/A (incumbent)