John Dec
Dr. Dec joins the AE faculty as a professor of the practice. He received his B.S. in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his M.S. and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Dec was the program manager at Terminal Velocity Aerospace (TVA).
Dec also spent 16 years at NASA Langley Research Center where he was a senior thermal engineer specializing in planetary entry, descent, and landing as well as satellite thermal control. During his 16 years at NASA he worked on projects such as the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) flexible thermal protection system (TPS), the Crew Exploration Vehicle Thermal Protection System Advanced Development Project, NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Autonomous Aerobraking Project, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Aerobraking, Mars Odyssey Aerobraking, and the Mars Sample Return Earth Entry Vehicle. His research activities focus on planetary entry, descent, and landing technology development, including: thermal protection system design and optimization and hypersonic aerothermodynamics.
Professor Dec’s teaching interests include undergraduate and graduate courses in aerospace engineering fundamentals such as orbital mechanics, aircraft performance, hypersonic aerothermodynamics, and spacecraft design. Professor Dec uses the experience he gained working at NASA Langley Research Center to bring real world problems into the classroom. His instruction integrates theoretical concepts with practical applications to prepare students for challenges in aerospace systems. Professor Dec emphasizes student engagement and problem-solving skills across core aerospace topics.
Professor Dec’s research focuses on the development and application of computational methods for aerospace vehicle performance and design. His work includes design and analysis of hypersonic vehicle thermal protection systems (TPS), aerodynamic heating analysis, flight trajectory optimization, and mission design. He uses a multidisciplinary approach to improve system design and operation. The research actively involves graduate and undergraduate students in advancing aerospace engineering knowledge.
Lab/Collaborations:
- Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL)
Disciplines:
- Systems Design & Optimization
- Aerodynamics & Fluid Mechanics
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Space Exploration and Earth Monitoring
B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1993, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; M.S., Aerospace Engineering, 1994, Georgia Institute of Technology; Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, 2010, Georgia Institute of Technology;
- A. Noel, M. V. Gamarnik, J. E. Arias, J. Dec, and K. K. Ahuja, “Mechanical Analysis of a Deployable Flexible Thermal Protection System for HyperSat, a CubeSat Platform,” AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, Jan. 2026.
- K. K. Ahuja et al., “HyperSat: An Innovative, High-cadence, Hypersonic Flying Testbed,” AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, Jan. 2026.
- Landon Jarrel, Michael Brocker, Aimee Williams, John A. Dec, K.K. Ahuja, “Development and Characterization of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Jet for High- Temperature Testing”, AIAA 2024-1401. AIAA SCITECH 2024 Forum. January 2024.
- Antonio Macias, Anthony Carreon, Daniel F. Berisford, Christopher E. Carr, John Dec, David Goldstein, Philip Varghese, Laurence Trafton, Kevin P. Hand,“Constraints on Sublimation-Driven Surface Morphology of Ocean Worlds” ICARUS Special Edition, 2023
- Steven Tobin, and John A. Dec, “Probabilistic Design Demonstration of a Flexible Thermal Protection System for a Hypersonic Inflatable Decelerator”, 2nd AIAA Spacecraft Structures Conference, AIAA SciTech, January 5-9, 2015.