Academic Degrees
Dipl. Ing., 1997, ETH Zürich M.S., 1999, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D., 2000, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Zoltán S. Spakovszky
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Director, Gas Turbine Laboratory
Graduate Officer
Contact
Gas Turbine Laboratory
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
31-317
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
zolti [at] mit.edu
Administrative Assistant
Robin Courchesne-Sato
rsato [at] mit.edu
Financial Officer
Jennifer Leith
jennie [at] mit.edu
Honors and Awards
George Fischer Award, ETH Zürich, 1997; ASME IGTI Best Paper Awards 2000 (2), 2002, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 (2), 2018; ASME 2003 Melville Medal; NASA Honor Award, 2003; AeroAstro Undergraduate Advising Award 2003, 2005; AeroAstro Undergraduate Teaching Award, 2008; Ruth and Joel Spira Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2009; ASME Gas Turbine Award 2012; ASME John P. Davis Gas Turbine Applications Award 2016
Society Memberships
Fellow, ASME; Associate Fellow, AIAA
Positions Held at MIT
Visiting Engineer, 1996-1997; Assistant Professor, 2001-2005; Associate Professor, 2005-2012; Professor, 2012 - present; Acting Director, Gas Turbine Laboratory, 2007; Director, Gas Turbine Laboratory, 2008 – present; Vehicle Sector Head, 2015 – 2018; Chair Graduate Committee, 2020 - present
Positions Held outside MIT
Propulsion Engineering, Swissair Technics, Zürich Airport, Switzerland, 1995; Research Staff, Turbomachinery Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Switzerland, 1996; Lead Engineer, Engine Preliminary Design and Performance, GE Aircraft Engines, 2000-2001; Technology Special Advisor, MHI R&D Center, 2009-2010; Senior Advisor for Strategy, Technology and Innovation, MHI Head Office, 2018-2019
Specialization and Research Interests
Propulsion and energy conversion, internal flows in fluid machinery, compressor aerodynamics and stability, micro-fluidics and rotordynamics, aero-acoustics, aircraft design for environment
Teaching Interests
Thermodynamics and energy conversion; propulsion and fluid mechanics, aero-acoustics
Advising Philosophy Statement
Lab/Research Group Affiliation