Michael W. Martin

Michael W. Martin, PhD has a long and varied work experience in the aerospace industry. From 1999 to 2021, they have held various positions in the field. From 1999 to 2007, they worked as a Test Operations Engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Operations. In 2006, they worked as an Engineer Intern at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where they helped build the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. In 2003, they worked as a Research Engineer Intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where they created a hydraulic cooling system for large magnets and tested over 1,000 diode assemblies with capacitors. From 2007 to 2015, they worked as a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, where they designed structural components for the Orion Service Module and led a group that selected the fasteners for the entire Orion Service Module. In 2014, they were the Chair of AIAA Houston, where they managed the Houston professional section of AIAA and hosted 10 monthly meetings. From 2015 to 2021, they worked at Lynntech, Inc. as a Research Scientist II, Research Scientist I, and Engineering Lead. During their time at Lynntech, they managed complex and innovative aerospace hardware projects, developed man-machine interfaces for the VR environment, and created hundreds of COMSOL Multiphysics models. Michael W. also worked as a Project Leader for Seal Testing at Schlumberger in 2014, where they designed and led the seal testing project within RMC and performed a full factorial experiment to quantify dynamic seal friction. Lastly, they worked as an ADCO Flight Controller for the International Space Station at Qualified Technical Services in 2013, where they received extensive training in NASA flight systems and Russian propulsion, was command-certified, and performed flight controller duties in complex simulations. In 2021, they began working at Benchmark Space Systems as the Director of Advanced Propellants and Senior Propulsion Development Engineer, where they are further developing the market for advanced propellant thrusters and propulsion systems, directing the design, analysis, and testing of new hardware and propellants, and overseeing the test program.

Michael W. Martin, PhD obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Orleans between 1992 and 1998. Michael W. then went on to earn a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution between 1999 and 2002. In 2006, they obtained a certification in Engineering Management from Texas A&M University. Finally, they earned their Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University between 2010 and 2014.