Tom Shih, the J. William Uhrig and Anastasia Vournas Head and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Shih was hired in 2009 from Iowa State University to lead AAE. In addition to his leadership at Purdue, Shih serves on the Aeronautics Committee of NASA’s Advisory Council.

“It has been an extreme honor and privilege to serve as the AAE head,” Shih says. “I look forward to working with our new head who will take us to even greater heights and impact on learning, discovery and engagement.”

Under Shih’s leadership, AAE has grown in both size and reputation. In the last decade, undergraduate enrollment has grown from 575 to more than 800 students, and graduate enrollment has increased from 341 to more than 500 with the number of Ph.D. students increased from 105 to 210. Purdue AAE is ranked consistently by U.S. News & World Report among the nation’s Top-10 Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical engineering programs; the undergraduate program was ranked fifth this year.

"We are immensely grateful for Dr. Shih’s decade-long service to Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Under his leadership, AAE’s student enrollment grew significantly while program quality was upheld and curricular innovations continued. Dr. Shih’s tireless engagement with alumni and strategic collaboration with industry and government partners have also enhanced the learning, discovery and engagement missions of the School. The national search for his replacement is now being carried out by an impressive search committee led by Dr. Rex Reklaitis, and I am confident that an outstanding leader will be identified to continue Purdue AAE’s legacy into an even brighter future,” says Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering.

Rex Reklaitis, the Edward W. Comings Professor of Chemical Engineering and courtesy professor of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, is chair of the search committee. Committee members include AAE alumnus William Uhrig; Kathleen Howell, the Hsu Lo Distinguished Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and associate dean of Engineering; Karen Marais, an AAE associate professor; Michael Sangid, the Elmer F. Bruhn Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a professor of Materials Engineering; John Sullivan, professor and former head of AAE; and Rita Baines, AAE chief development officer.