Zoltán Spakovszky


Zoltán S. Spakovszky is an aerospace engineer, academic and researcher. He is best known for his work on fluid system instabilities and internal flow in turbomachinery. He is T. Wilson Professor in Aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Director of the MIT Gas Turbine Laboratory.

Education

Spakovszky received his Diplom Ingenieur degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 1997. He then moved to United States and earned his Master's and Doctoral Degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999 and 2001, respectively.

Career

Following his doctoral studies, Spakovszky joined the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT as professorial faculty in 2001. He became the Director of the MIT Gas Turbine Laboratory in 2008.
Spakovszky's research focuses on solving complex, real world, high relevance technological issues related to aeroengines, power and propulsion systems. He has conducted work in compressor aerodynamics, aeroengine instabilities, rotordynamics, thermodynamics, aero-acoustics, propulsion and energy conversion, and aircraft design for environment. He investigated and explained the mechanisms of flow instabilities leading to in-flight aeroengine shutdowns. The results helped improve an engine diagnostic and health monitoring test employed by airlines for fleet management purposes and required by an FAA airworthiness directive. Spakovszky worked as chief engineer on the Silent Aircraft Initiative, a joint project between the University of Cambridge, MIT, and industry partners, that took step beyond aviation industry's noise reduction goals by delivering a credible conceptual aircraft design inaudible on take-off and landing. He also led a team to develop ultra high-speed gas bearings that enabled operation of multi-wafer rotating MEMS machines for power and propulsion applications at micro scale.
Spakovszky is a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, an Associate Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Leader of the ASME Gas Turbine Segment Leadership Team,

Awards and honors