Brian J. Sullivan
Director
Education
B.E., Civil Engineering, Villanova University, 1974
M.S., Structural Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1975
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1979
Graduate courses in Textile Engineering, Philadelphia University, 2000
Experience
Dr. Sullivan has over 30 years of experience in materials and structures design, research, and development. At Materials Research & Design he is responsible for several programs related to modeling, design, analysis, fabrication and testing of advanced composite materials for hypersonic vehicles. Recent and current efforts include the design of carbon fiber textile preform reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites for reusable launch vehicle components including refractory composite leading edges, hot structure control surface components, nozzle ramp heat exchangers, and rotating engine turbine blades; the design of carbon-carbon, metal, and organic matrix composites in electronic thermal management systems; and the analysis and design of satellite radiators composed of carbon-carbon and organic matrix composite materials.
Since 1977, Dr. Sullivan has held an appointment to the Mechanical Engineering faculty of Villanova University, where he currently holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Solid Mechanics. At Villanova University, Dr. Sullivan teaches graduate level mechanical engineering courses in Engineering Mathematics, Composite Materials, Composite Structures, Finite Element Analysis, Random Vibrations, Thermoelasticity and Thermal Structures. In 1981 Dr. Sullivan became an adjunct faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania, where his responsibilities included the development and teaching of courses in engineering analysis and design and structural mechanics.
Dr. Sullivan is the author or co-author of more than 100 technical publications in the field of materials and structural engineering. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Society for Composites, the American Carbon Society, the Society for Advanced Materials Process Engineering, and the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). In addition he has served as a reviewer for several technical publications and has been a contributing member of committees on materials behavior for both the ASME and ASCE.