Dan Dumbacher

Dumbacher will teach courses in systems and systems of systems. He will also work with Abhijit Deshmukh, the James J. Solberg Head and Professor of Industrial Engineering; William Crossley, professor of aeronautics and astronautics; and other leaders in the College of Engineering in the systems area to develop the Purdue Systems Initiative.  

In his current position at NASA, he provides leadership and management for the directorate with a special focus as the program director for Exploration Systems Development encompassing Space Launch System, Orion, and Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) development and integration efforts.

Prior to that, Dumbacher served as director of the Engineering Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Appointed to the position in May 2007, he led an organization of 1,400 civil service and 1,200 support contractor employees. Under his leadership, the Engineering Directorate supported the Space Shuttle propulsion elements, design and development of the Ares launch vehicles, operation of NASA’s Payload Operations Center — the command post for scientific research activities on board the International Space Station — and supported all Marshall Space Flight Center International Space Station and Science missions.

Previously, Dumbacher was deputy director of the Ares Projects Office and deputy director for Product Assurance in the Safety and Mission Assurance Office, focusing on Space Shuttle return-to-flight efforts. Other assignments included serving as manager of the X-37 Flight Demonstrator, deputy manager of the Space Launch Initiative Program and program manager of the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program. Prior to that, he was deputy manager of the X-33 Flight Vehicle Program and manager of the Delta Clipper-Experimental Advanced Flight Vehicle Project. He also served as assistant manager of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Project and manager of the Technology Test Bed Project, overseeing hot-fire testing of large liquid propulsion engines.

Dumbacher joined NASA in 1979. During his career he has received numerous awards and honors. In 2007, he was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives — the highest honor for career federal employees. In 2003, he received the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer award from Purdue University. He received the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2002 for accomplishments related to NASA’s Space Launch Initiative Program, and in 1997 for his work on the DC-XA Project. In 1996, he was honored with a Marshall Director’s Commendation for accomplishing two flight tests within 26 hours in the DC-XA Project flight test series.

Dumbacher earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1981 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1984. He has completed the Senior Managers in Government study program at Harvard University. Dumbacher has authored several papers on liquid propulsion technologies, space transportation systems development and systems engineering.