Doug Bowers

Doug Bowers

Director
Propulsion Directorate
Air Force Research Laboratory
BSAAE 1972

 

 

 

 

"Beyond the excellent technical preparation that a Purdue engineering degree offers, there is in the practicing community a strong sense of Purdue family. It's a bond between Purdue engineers always willing to support fellow alumni. A Purdue engineering degree carries an aura that sets the person apart from others. It's one of respect and confidence in that person's ability."

Doug Bowers graduated from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering in 1972. Bowers earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from The Ohio State University in 1976 and a master's degree in engineering management from the University of Dayton in 1999.

Bowers directs the U.S. Air Force's science and technology program in propulsion and power for the Air Force Research Laboratory. He began his career at Wright-Patterson in 1972 as a project engineer in the flight dynamics laboratory. In 1994, he became head of the airframe propulsion and weapons integration section of the Air Vehicles Directorate. He helped develop national recommendations for aerospace industry and national security while serving as the Air Force staff member of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. Before becoming director for the propulsion directorate in 2008, Bowers served as associate director of air platforms.

Bowers received the Air Force's Exemplary Civilian Service Award in 1998, the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2001 and the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service in 2004.