He earned his S.B. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1991 and 1995, respectively. His research is in the area of composite structures, including an emphasis on application to crashworthy structures. He received the Kerry Bruce Clark award for Excellence in Teaching, Florida Tech’s highest teaching award, for the 2013-2014 academic year.