Roger Simpson, 2023

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 1968.
M.S.M.E., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 1965
B.M.E., Mechanical Engineering, University of Virginia, 1964.

Roger Lyndon Simpson, P.E. is Professor Emeritus and formerly the Jack E. Cowling Professor of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. Born and raised in Roanoke, Va, he became interested in engineering after he built a Soap-Box-Derby racer in 1954 and won the Roanoke race in 1955. After graduating near the top of his class at Jefferson High School while dually enrolled in trade-school and college-prep classes, he received a partial scholarship to UVA. He received a NSF Graduate Fellowship to Stanford, where he became interested in experimental turbulence research. Steam-water two-phase flow briefly excited his interest in 1968 when he worked for the GE Atomic Power Equipment Department, where he invented a boiling noise detection scheme to avoid fuel rod meltdown in nuclear reactors. which is still used today. In 1969 he moved to Southern Methodist University.    

Since then, he taught graduate and undergraduate courses on aero/hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer, turbomachinery, flow turbulence, and instrumentation systems and short courses in the US and Europe on related subjects, such as laser-Doppler anemometry. The goal of his research program was to provide detailed data on the structure of practical complex turbulent flows, such as separated and vortical flows. In order to achieve this, unique flow facilities and instrumentation were required. Many aspects of laser-Doppler anemometry were developed and led progress in that subject.  Three wind tunnels were developed, including one with an unsteady gust mechanism to simulate helicopter rotor-blade flows with unsteady stall.

In 1983 in order to be near his family, he was able to move with his facilities to AOE. The unique Dynamic-Plunge-Pitch-Roll (DyPPiR) model mount for simulation of rapid-transient body maneuvers was developed for use in the AOE Stability Wind Tunnel to determine unsteady loads on light-weight submarine and aircraft models. More turbulent flow research work and recognition followed, especially for vortex-producing “juncture flows”, such as those that occur around wing/fuselage junctions on aircraft, appendage/hull junctions on submarines, and in bodies of water around hydraulic structures such as bridge piers and abutments. Work was done on the prevention of acoustic noise- producing vortices on submarines (Seawolf and Virginia Class). Recently he was a consultant to NASA on reducing adverse aspects of “juncture flows” between airplane wings and a fuselage.  He continues to promote scouring-vortex-preventing designs for bridge piers and abutments. Recently he developed an "Omni-Directional" design for axisymmetric piers to prevent scour and failure in coastal tidal flows. Since 1969 he has led over 50 multi-year funded research projects, resulting in over 350 publications and 3 patents. In 1996 he was awarded the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Dean's Award for Excellence in Research.

He has been a visiting professor at the Max Planck Institut für Strömungsforschung, Göttingen, Germany, the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, and the Stanford-NASA Ames Center for Turbulence Research.  In addition to committee work in AOE and VT, he served AOE as Director, VPI&SU Stability Wind Tunnel, (1989 - 2004) and Supervisor of AOE Lab Technicians for some years.  

He is a Fellow of the ASME and the AIAA, a Founding Fellow of the Inst. Diagnostic Engrs.(UK), and a Member or Honorary Member of other professional societies. In addition to many other past activities in the ASME and AIAA, he has been an Associate Editor of the AIAA Journal, AIAA Director-at-Large, AIAA Vice-President for Education, AIAA Vice-President for Publications, National AIAA President (2005 – 2007), Chair of the AIAA Foundation Board of Trustees (2008- 2009), and Chair of the American Association of Engineering Societies (2010). In 2005 he was awarded the Virginia Tech College of Engineering Dean's Award for Excellence in Service.  In 2018, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who. He is thankful for the students, staff,  and colleagues that worked with him. He and his wife, Darlene, are most thankful for their 2 children and 3 grandchildren.