Benzakein to lead Ohio State aerospace and aviation initiatives

The Ohio State University College of Engineering and Office of Research recently appointed Meyer (Mike) Benzakein as assistant vice president for aerospace and aviation.

Benzakein will work closely with university faculty, industry, state and federal institutions, as well as his extensive network of contacts in the aerospace and aviation industries, to expand Ohio State’s research partnerships and help grow its aerospace and aviation presence in the U.S. and around the world. 

Benzakein joined the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Ohio State in 2004 as the Wright Brothers Institute Professor, and served as department chair from 2005-2010. Since July 2010, he has served as the director of the Propulsion and Power Center, a multidisciplinary center with more than 50 research faculty. 

Prior to coming to Ohio State, he spent more than three decades at GE Aviation, where he was responsible for the engineering of the CFM56 and GE 90 engines.

"Mike is one of the most respected engineers in aviation," said College of Engineering Dean David B. Williams. "By integrating aerospace and aviation research and education across Ohio State, he will be equipped to develop new funding to support the impactful work of our faculty and students."

His lifelong contributions to the aviation and aerospace industry have been recognized by his election to the National Academy of Engineering and as a Fellow of the United Kingdom’s Royal Aeronautical Society. Benzakein earned a Dipl. Masch. Ing. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and a PhD in engineering mechanics from Wayne State University.