COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M Board of Regents have named Robert H. Bishop '79 as the new Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Engineering at the university. He is currently the dean of the College of Engineering at the University of South Florida.
Born near Aviano Air Base in Italy, Bishop's journey in the engineering world was driven by his goal to work for NASA, which he was able to achieve thanks to the help of his professors. A major project he worked on with the organization was their Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology project.
After finishing his bachelor's and master's degree in aerospace engineering from A&M, Bishop looked to Rice University to take his talents even further. He later earned his PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the school, later going on to work at The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory focusing on guidance and navigation systems while assisting NASA's Mission Planning & Analysis Division at the Johnson Space Center.
"Returning to Texas A&M to help build the future of this outstanding program is an opportunity I have worked toward all my life," Bishop said in a press release. "I can't wait to get started. From working with NASA to build the Texas A&M Space Institute, to working with the Department of Defense and the Army Futures Command to protect our nation, to finding and developing the brightest minds in Texas with out Engineering Academies, there is just so much potential here."
In 1990, he returned to work at the university level, and joined the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics as a faculty member. He would rise to hold an endowed position and department chair title before accepting a role as the dean of engineering at Marquette University in 2010. Four years later, he was selected to lead The University of South Florida's college of engineering.
“Robert Bishop has the entrepreneurial savvy and the academic bona fides to lead Texas A&M’s engineering program as we grow our relationships with both NASA and the Department of Defense,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System in a press release. “The fact he’s an Aggie is not a surprise — Aggie engineering has a long history of creating innovative leaders with great accomplishments.”
One of Bishop's accolades includes founding a non-profit that has been awarded more than $100 million in Department of Defense contracts.
“It’s a great day for Texas A&M and the state of Texas,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M University in a press release. “Dr. Bishop has built an incredible career in both industry and academia, and we look forward to welcoming him home to inspire the next generation of Aggie engineers. I’m also excited to watch as he and our remarkable College of Engineering faculty advance innovative research to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
In addition to the announcement, Bishop was also named the sole finalist for director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, a state research agency that solves real-world engineering problems through research, development and collaboration with industry, government and academic minds.
Click here to read the full announcement on the Texas A&M University System website.
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