Werner J A Dahm
Encyclopedia
Dr. Werner J.A. Dahm is the Director, Security & Defense Systems Initiative (SDSI) at Arizona State University (ASU). He is also an ASU Foundation Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University as well as an Emeritus Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. At ASU he leads a unique, transdisciplinary, university-wide institute based on the New American University model to develop technology-enabled solutions for key national and global security challenges, including their legal and policy implications and the root socio-economic causes of security issues.
He accepted the position at ASU in November 2010 after serving full-time in the Pentagon as the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force
, Washington, D.C.
from 2008-2010, where as a member of Headquarters Air Force he was the direct science and technology advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff . In this role he identified and analyzed technical issues and brought them to attention of Air Force leaders, and interacted with other Air Staff principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science & technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions. He also served as a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan for 25 years.
As the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Dahm led development of Technology Horizons for the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. This decadal document identifies key Air Force science and technology focus areas during 2010-2030 that will be needed to meet the strategic, technology, and budget challenges of the Air Force and other Services during this period. This involved leading a team of subject matter experts from across the Air Force science and technology enterprise, the Major Commands, the intelligence community, FFRDCs, defense industries, and academia to identify key technology needs and assess technology solutions and their readiness for meeting them.
Prior to becoming the Air Force’s Chief Scientist, he was a Member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and subsequently was on the Steering Committee and Senior Review Group of the SAB, where he continues to serve as a Member. He also has served on numerous task forces of the Defense Science Board (DSB) for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, and is a past member of the Defense Science Study Group (DSSG) at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Dahm has also served as co-chair of the USAF-NASA Executive Research Committee on Aeronautics.
His research has primarily been in fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, turbulent flows and turbulence modeling, combustion science, and propulsion systems. His contributions have ranged from developing and applying new high-resolution, three- and four-dimensional, laser diagnostic methods for fundamental turbulence measurements, to vortex-based large eddy simulation methods, physics-based models for turbulent flows, and micro/mesoscale systems for power generation, flow control, and advanced propulsion.
He is an author of over 180 journal articles, conference papers, and technical publications, a holder of several U.S. patents, and has given over 240 technical presentations, including more than 140 invited, keynote, and plenary lectures worldwide, on topics dealing with defense science and technology, aerospace engineering, and fundamental fluid dynamics. He has served extensively on technical advisory and organizational committees in the aerospace and defense science and technology fields, and as a consultant for industry.
Dahm is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a recipient of the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service and the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award
, the William F. Ballhaus Aeronautics Prize from Caltech, and the 1938E Distinguished Achievement Award and the George J. Huebner Research Excellence Award from The University of Michigan.
brought to the U.S. The elder Dahm died in 2008.
During World War II, Werner Karl Dahm was drafted by the German army to create an intercontinental missile capable of hitting New York from Europe. After the war, the elder Dahm was among the 130 German scientists selected to come to America to work on the U.S. rocket program. The elder Dahm moved with the Von Braun team to Huntsville, Alabama
in 1950, working first with the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal
, and then in July 1960, moving with Von Braun to NASA
's newly-formed Marshall Spaceflight Center.
Werner J. A. Dahm was 52 at the time an article about him appeared in the Los Angeles Times
on March 26, 2010, meaning that Dahm was born in 1957 or 1958, presumably in Huntsville, Alabama.
Dahm developed a love of science, and an ability to explain it to people with little technical knowledge, during his boyhood. "I grew up in an environment where science was anything but scary. Shock waves at breakfast, aerodynamics at dinner," he told a reporter with the Los Angeles Times
.
The elder Dahm was skeptical of militaries. He initially balked when his son wanted to join the Junior ROTC program in high school because the uniforms and drills evoked the Hitler youth of Nazi Germany.
The younger Dahm obtained his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsvill, and his Masters degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee Space Institute. He then worked as a Research Engineer at the USAF Arnold Engineering Development Center
, and subsequently obtained his doctoral degree in aeronautics at Caltech. In 1985 he joined the faculty in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where in addition to research and teaching he spent much of the following 25 years in various defense science advisory roles for the Department of Defense.
from 2008-2010, serving full-time in the Pentagon as a member of the Air Staff (United States) in Headquarters Air Force, where he was the direct science and technology advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff. He currently serves as Director, Security & Defense Systems Initiative (SDSI) at Arizona State University (ASU), where he is also an ASU Foundation Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
He has served on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), where he has chaired major studies on spectrum management, on thermal management, and on cyber situational awareness, and has served on several other SAB studies. He also chaired SAB science and technology reviews of propulsion and air vehicles work in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), served on the recent SAB review of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and served on two further science and technology reviews for the SAB. He has additionally served on four studies for the Defense Science Board (DSB), and is a past member of the Defense Science Study Group (DSSG) at the Institute for Defense Analyses. He previously worked as a Research Engineer in the Transonic Wind Tunnel Section of the Propulsion Wind Tunnel Facility at the USAF Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) on adaptive wall transonic wind tunnels and high-incidence missile aerodynamics.
He previously served for 25 years as Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, and Head of the Laboratory for Turbulence & Combustion (LTC) at Michigan, and currently holds the rank of Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan. His primary research and teaching focus has been in fluid dynamics, turbulent flows, combustion and propulsion.
Dahm is an author of over 180 technical publications, a holder of several U.S. patents, and has given over 220 technical presentations, including over 100 invited and plenary lectures worldwide, in the areas of fluid dynamics, turbulence and combustion. He has served extensively on technical advisory and organizational committees for numerous technical conferences, and as a consultant for industry. He has also served in several leadership roles in his professional field, including on the Executive Committee of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society (APS), and as an associate editor for AIAA Journal.
He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a recipient of the William F. Ballhaus Aeronautics Prize from Caltech, the 1938E Distinguished Achievement Award from the University of Michigan, and the George J. Huebner Research Excellence Award from The University of Michigan, and has been awarded the Air Force Award for Meritorious Civilian Service.
He accepted the position at ASU in November 2010 after serving full-time in the Pentagon as the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force
Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force
The Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is a three-star equivalent civilian member of Headquarters Air Force and in this role is the most senior Science & Technology representative in the U.S. Air Force. The current Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is Dr. Mark T...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from 2008-2010, where as a member of Headquarters Air Force he was the direct science and technology advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff . In this role he identified and analyzed technical issues and brought them to attention of Air Force leaders, and interacted with other Air Staff principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science & technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions. He also served as a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan for 25 years.
As the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Dahm led development of Technology Horizons for the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. This decadal document identifies key Air Force science and technology focus areas during 2010-2030 that will be needed to meet the strategic, technology, and budget challenges of the Air Force and other Services during this period. This involved leading a team of subject matter experts from across the Air Force science and technology enterprise, the Major Commands, the intelligence community, FFRDCs, defense industries, and academia to identify key technology needs and assess technology solutions and their readiness for meeting them.
Prior to becoming the Air Force’s Chief Scientist, he was a Member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and subsequently was on the Steering Committee and Senior Review Group of the SAB, where he continues to serve as a Member. He also has served on numerous task forces of the Defense Science Board (DSB) for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, and is a past member of the Defense Science Study Group (DSSG) at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). Dahm has also served as co-chair of the USAF-NASA Executive Research Committee on Aeronautics.
His research has primarily been in fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, turbulent flows and turbulence modeling, combustion science, and propulsion systems. His contributions have ranged from developing and applying new high-resolution, three- and four-dimensional, laser diagnostic methods for fundamental turbulence measurements, to vortex-based large eddy simulation methods, physics-based models for turbulent flows, and micro/mesoscale systems for power generation, flow control, and advanced propulsion.
He is an author of over 180 journal articles, conference papers, and technical publications, a holder of several U.S. patents, and has given over 240 technical presentations, including more than 140 invited, keynote, and plenary lectures worldwide, on topics dealing with defense science and technology, aerospace engineering, and fundamental fluid dynamics. He has served extensively on technical advisory and organizational committees in the aerospace and defense science and technology fields, and as a consultant for industry.
Dahm is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a recipient of the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service and the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award
Meritorious Civilian Service Award
The Meritorious Civilian Service Award is commonly the second highest award and medal provided to civilian employees within agencies of the federal government of the United States...
, the William F. Ballhaus Aeronautics Prize from Caltech, and the 1938E Distinguished Achievement Award and the George J. Huebner Research Excellence Award from The University of Michigan.
Early life
Dahm is the son of Werner Karl Dahm, one of the German rocket scientists who Wernher von BraunWernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
brought to the U.S. The elder Dahm died in 2008.
During World War II, Werner Karl Dahm was drafted by the German army to create an intercontinental missile capable of hitting New York from Europe. After the war, the elder Dahm was among the 130 German scientists selected to come to America to work on the U.S. rocket program. The elder Dahm moved with the Von Braun team to Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
in 1950, working first with the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
, and then in July 1960, moving with Von Braun to NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's newly-formed Marshall Spaceflight Center.
Werner J. A. Dahm was 52 at the time an article about him appeared in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
on March 26, 2010, meaning that Dahm was born in 1957 or 1958, presumably in Huntsville, Alabama.
Dahm developed a love of science, and an ability to explain it to people with little technical knowledge, during his boyhood. "I grew up in an environment where science was anything but scary. Shock waves at breakfast, aerodynamics at dinner," he told a reporter with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
.
The elder Dahm was skeptical of militaries. He initially balked when his son wanted to join the Junior ROTC program in high school because the uniforms and drills evoked the Hitler youth of Nazi Germany.
The younger Dahm obtained his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsvill, and his Masters degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee Space Institute. He then worked as a Research Engineer at the USAF Arnold Engineering Development Center
Arnold Engineering Development Center
Arnold Engineering Development Center is a ground-based flight test facility operated by the US Air Force Materiel Command.-Mission statement:The AEDC mission is to:...
, and subsequently obtained his doctoral degree in aeronautics at Caltech. In 1985 he joined the faculty in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where in addition to research and teaching he spent much of the following 25 years in various defense science advisory roles for the Department of Defense.
Biography
Dahm was the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air ForceChief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force
The Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is a three-star equivalent civilian member of Headquarters Air Force and in this role is the most senior Science & Technology representative in the U.S. Air Force. The current Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is Dr. Mark T...
from 2008-2010, serving full-time in the Pentagon as a member of the Air Staff (United States) in Headquarters Air Force, where he was the direct science and technology advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff. He currently serves as Director, Security & Defense Systems Initiative (SDSI) at Arizona State University (ASU), where he is also an ASU Foundation Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
He has served on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), where he has chaired major studies on spectrum management, on thermal management, and on cyber situational awareness, and has served on several other SAB studies. He also chaired SAB science and technology reviews of propulsion and air vehicles work in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), served on the recent SAB review of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), and served on two further science and technology reviews for the SAB. He has additionally served on four studies for the Defense Science Board (DSB), and is a past member of the Defense Science Study Group (DSSG) at the Institute for Defense Analyses. He previously worked as a Research Engineer in the Transonic Wind Tunnel Section of the Propulsion Wind Tunnel Facility at the USAF Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) on adaptive wall transonic wind tunnels and high-incidence missile aerodynamics.
He previously served for 25 years as Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, and Head of the Laboratory for Turbulence & Combustion (LTC) at Michigan, and currently holds the rank of Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan. His primary research and teaching focus has been in fluid dynamics, turbulent flows, combustion and propulsion.
Dahm is an author of over 180 technical publications, a holder of several U.S. patents, and has given over 220 technical presentations, including over 100 invited and plenary lectures worldwide, in the areas of fluid dynamics, turbulence and combustion. He has served extensively on technical advisory and organizational committees for numerous technical conferences, and as a consultant for industry. He has also served in several leadership roles in his professional field, including on the Executive Committee of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society (APS), and as an associate editor for AIAA Journal.
He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a recipient of the William F. Ballhaus Aeronautics Prize from Caltech, the 1938E Distinguished Achievement Award from the University of Michigan, and the George J. Huebner Research Excellence Award from The University of Michigan, and has been awarded the Air Force Award for Meritorious Civilian Service.
Education
- 1978 Bachelor of Science (BSE), Mechanical Engineering, University of Alabama in Huntsville
- 1981 Master of Science (MS), Mechanical Engineering, University of Tennessee Space Institute
- 1985 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Aeronautics, California Institute of Technology
Career chronology
- 1978–1981, Research Engineer, USAF Arnold Engineering Development Center
- 1985–1991, Assistant Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
- 1991–1997, Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
- 1996 – present, Head, Laboratory for Turbulence & Combustion, University of Michigan
- 1997 – present, Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
- 2008–2010, Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Awards and honors
- Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service, Department of the Air Force
- Fellow, American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
- Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics
- USAF Meritorious Civilian Service AwardMeritorious Civilian Service AwardThe Meritorious Civilian Service Award is commonly the second highest award and medal provided to civilian employees within agencies of the federal government of the United States...
, Department of the Air Force - George J. Huebner Research Excellence Award, University of Michigan
- Distinguished Achievement Award (1938E), University of Michigan
- Aerospace Engineering Research and Teaching Award, University of Michigan
- William F. Ballhaus Aeronautics Prize, Caltech
- Donald Wills Douglas Prize Fellowship, Caltech
Professional memberships and associations
- American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
, Division of Fluid Dynamics (Fellow) - American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsThe American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
(Fellow) - American Society of Mechanical EngineersAmerican Society of Mechanical EngineersThe American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
- European Mechanics Society
- International Combustion Institute