Adam Steinberg, the Pratt & Whitney Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, has been appointed as the new secretary of the faculty for Georgia Tech, effective February 26, 2025.
In his new role, Steinberg will serve as the permanent secretary for all faculty governance bodies, facilitating communication and governance across the Institute. The secretary of the faculty is appointed through a multi-phase process in which the faculty vote to recommend the new secretary to the president, who then affirms the appointment.
"Professor Steinberg's years of contributions as a chair, faculty member, and lab director make him an excellent choice for the secretary of the faculty role,” said President Ángel Cabrera. “He is a highly respected member of our faculty community, and I have no doubt that he will make a significant contribution to strengthening faculty governance at Georgia Tech.”
The secretary of the faculty plays an essential role in faculty governance at Georgia Tech, serving as the secretary for the Faculty Executive Board, Academic Faculty, Research Faculty, Academic Faculty Senate, and Research Faculty Senate. This position involves maintaining records, conducting governance elections, serving on the Insitute Policy Committee, liaising between campus administration and the faculty, and ensuring effective campus engagement with faculty initiatives. To take on this role full-time, Steinberg will step down from his position as associate chair for graduate programs in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.
Reflecting on his appointment, Steinberg said, "I am deeply honored to take on this role and look forward to collaborating with faculty and administration to further strengthen these relationships. It is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the Institute's value of shared governance and to support the outstanding work of my colleagues."
Steinberg brings a wealth of experience to this role. He is the director of the Ben T. Zinn Combustion Laboratory, one of the largest academic combustion research facilities globally. Before joining Georgia Tech, he was a faculty member at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies and served as a research scientist at the German Aerospace Center.
His research focuses on addressing scientific and technical challenges in aerospace propulsion and energy conversion devices. Collaborating closely with government and industry, his group develops advanced laser-based measurement techniques to explore complex thermal, fluid, and chemical processes in these systems.
Steinberg holds a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto, an M.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is a Fellow of the Combustion Institute, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and he serves as an Associate Editor for Combustion and Flame.
Steinberg succeeds J. Rhett Mayor, who has served as Secretary of the Faculty since 2018. During his tenure, Mayor worked to amplify faculty voices across campus and served throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as a dedicated liaison between the administration and faculty. His years of service have left a lasting impact on the Georgia Tech community. Mayor assumed the role of interim associate dean for faculty and graduate student affairs in the College of Lifetime Learning on January 1, 2025.
“Adam’s exceptional leadership skills, deep commitment to faculty governance, and extensive experience make him an outstanding choice for this vital role,” said Dima Nazzal, chair of the Faculty Executive Board. “We are thrilled to welcome him as secretary of the faculty. At the same time, we are immensely grateful to Rhett for his remarkable service and unwavering dedication to the faculty during his tenure. His impact has been invaluable, and we wish him the very best in his new role.”
Writer: Brittany Aiello, Faculty Communications Program Manager, Executive Communications, Institute Communications
