Robert Kielb
Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Robert Kielb has over 45 years academic, industrial and government research laboratory experience in turbomachinery propulsion.  This consists of 8 years with the U. S. Air Force, 10 years with NASA Lewis Research Center, and 12 years with GE Aircraft Engines as Manager of Aeromechanics Technology.  He has also been an Affiliated Professor at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) since 2008.  KTH is the leading science and technology university in Sweden.  Currently he is Associate Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University where conducts research and teaches.  He is also Director of the GUIde Consortium (10 companies, 4 universities and 2 government organizations) and Duke Coordinator for the EU-funded THRUST MEng Program.  His primary experiences are: 1) developing and implementing state-of-the-art mechanical and aeromechanical design technologies; 2) directing blade design, manufacture, and test; 3) initiating and executing R&D programs to support needed technology improvements, and 4) coordinating research programs among government, industry and universities (GUIde).  He has authored or co-authored over fifty technical papers, is a recipient of the ASME’s Melville Award for substantial improvements in the understanding of turbine aeroelasticity, and has presented invited lectures worldwide. Dr. Kielb is a Fellow of the ASME and was a Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Gas Turbine Institute, serving on the Board for 6 years. He has also served as Technical Program Chair for ASME Turbo Expo ’96, Chair of the ASME Structures and Dynamics Committee, and Associate Editor of both the Journal of Turbomachinery and Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power.  (ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers)

Current Research Interests

Unsteady aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, mistuning, damping, and probabilistic methods. Principal investigator on AFOSR, DARPA, NASA, and industry-funded research projects.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Contact Information

  • 179 Hudson Hall, Box 90300, Durham, NC 27708
  • 179 Hudson Hall, Box 90300, Durham, NC 27708-0300

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