Alec Damian Gallimore is an American

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

who has been serving as provost of Duke University since July 2023. Previously at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, he served as the 15th dean of engineering from 2016 to 2023 and a faculty member since 1992.

Early life and education

Gallimore was born in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to Jamaican immigrant parents Kathleen and Lascelles Gallimore but raised in

Harrington Park, New Jersey Harrington Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,664, Gallimore received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

with a major in aeronautical engineering from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Va ...

in 1986. He received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in 1988 and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1992, both in aerospace engineering and from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

Career

Following his undergraduate degree, Gallimore was one of forty engineering and science college students selected to participate in a summer program at the

NASA Lewis Research Center NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center within the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Rocky River Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, with a subsidiary facilit ...

. Following his PhD, Gallimore intended on pursuing a career with NASA but was informed he needed more experience. As a result, he chose to join the faculty at the

University of Michigan College of Engineering The University of Michigan College of Engineering, branded as Michigan Engineering, is the engineering wing of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With an enrollment of 7,133 undergraduate and 3,537 ...

to improve his public speaking. Upon joining the faculty, Gallimore founded the

Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL) is a University of Michigan laboratory facility for electric propulsion and plasma application research. The primary goals of PEPL is to increase efficiency of electric propulsion systems, ...

. He originally intended to return to NASA after five years of teaching but chose to pursue a career in academia instead. From 2005 to 2011, Gallimore served as an associate dean at the

Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies The Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, commonly known as the Rackham Graduate School, is the graduate school of the University of Michigan. Founded in 1912 with an endowment from Mary Rackham in 1935, the Rackham Graduate School is resp ...

and from 2011 to 2013 he was the associate dean for research and graduate education. As founding director of the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL), Gallimore focused his research on electric propulsion, plasma diagnostics, space plasma simulation, electrode physics, nano-particle energetics, and hypersonic aerodynamics’ interaction with plasma. The PEPL was originally interested in improving and enhancing the Large Vacuum Test Facility (LVTF), a 20 by 30-foot vacuum chamber, and a small standalone vacuum antechamber. In 2015, the laboratory designed an X3 Nested-Channel Hall Thruster to be used in NASA's Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP). Beyond his efforts in the PEPL, Gallimore served as director for the NASA Michigan Space Grant Consortium and for the Michigan/Air Force Center of Excellence in Electric Propulsion. In February 2016, Gallimore was named the next Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2021. While serving in this role, he was elected to the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

for "advanced spacecraft electric propulsion, especially Hall thruster technology." In 2020, Gallimore was presented with the

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...

Wyld Propulsion Award for his "groundbreaking achievements and leadership in technology and workforce development that have contributed significantly to increased utilization of spacecraft electric propulsion systems." On March 24, 2023, it was announced Gallimore would become Provost of Duke University. In his capacity of provost, Gallimore is ''ex officio'' chair of the

Duke Kunshan University Duke Kunshan University (DKU) is a Wuhan University– Duke University joint venture, independently accredited university in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. In 2018, Duke Kunshan University welcomed their first inaugural undergraduate class. Hist ...

board of trustees.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallimore, Alec D. Living people African-American engineers American aerospace engineers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Princeton University alumni University of Michigan faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Year of birth missing (living people)