Olivier L. de Weck

He/His
Interim Department Head
Apollo Program Professor
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets
Director, Engineering Systems Lab

Contact Info

Office Phone

617.253.0255

Email

deweck@mit.edu

Office

33-207

Administrative Contact

Robin Courchesne-Sato
rsato@mit.edu
617.258.7243

Financial Contact

Venecia Siders
venecia@mit.edu
617.715.5258
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Affiliated Labs

I watched the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 and am excited for humanity to become a multi-planet species before the end of this century.

Biography

Olivier de Weck is the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he is the Interim Department Head of AeroAstro. His research is in Engineering Systems with a focus on how complex technological systems are designed and how they evolve over time. He is a Fellow of INCOSE and AIAA and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. His textbook Technology Roadmapping and Development received a most promising textbook of 2024 award.

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Specialization and Research Interests

  • Engineering Systems
  • Technology Management and Roadmapping
  • Astronautics and Space Logistics
  • Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

Teaching Interests

  • 16.00 Introduction to Aerospace and Design
  • 16.851 Satellite Engineering
  • 16.887 Technology Roadmapping and Development
  • 16.888 Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
  • 16.83 Space Systems Engineering
  • 16.89 Space Mission Design
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Academic Degrees

Dipl. Ingenieur m.A., Industrial Engineering, 1993, ETH Zurich, Switzerland S.M., 1999, Aeronautics & Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D., 2001, Aerospace Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Society Memberships

Fellow, INCOSE; Fellow, AIAA; AIAA Space Logistics Technical Committee (chair); Senior Member IEEE; Member ASEE, ASME, MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

Positions Held at MIT

Associate Department Head, MIT AeroAstro
Faculty Co-Director, MIT Gordon Engineering Leadership Program
Faculty Co-Director, Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program
Faculty Director, MIT-Switzerland Program

Positions Held outside MIT

Swiss Air Force Officer, 1987-2000; ETH Zurich, Research Assistant, 1987-1992; Swiss Aircraft & Systems Co., R&D Staff Engineer, 1992-1997; McDonnell Douglas, Swiss F/A-18 Engineering Program Manager, 1995-1997; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Visiting Scientist, 1998; Co-founder Intelligent Action Inc., 2007; Editor-in-Chief, journal Systems Engineering 2013-2018; Senior Vice President for Technology Planning and Roadmapping, Airbus, 2016-2018, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

Awards & Honors

  • IEEE Aerospace Conference Charles Fogg Best Paper Award, 2023
  • Most Promising New Textbook Award 2024 (TAA)
  • ASEE 2024 PIC III Best Paper Award (LEAD Division), 2024
  • 2025 NASA Human Lander Challenge, 3rd Place, 2025
  • NASA RASC-AL Team Advisor (1st and 2nd place), 2026

Research & Publications

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