Georgia Institute of Technology has named Michael “Mike” Gazarik as the brand new director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and a Georgia Tech senior vp, efficient February 16.
A nationally revered aerospace and analysis chief, Gazarik has led giant, advanced analysis organizations throughout authorities, trade, and academia, shaping technique, driving progress, and constructing establishments that ship mission-critical innovation. With greater than three many years of expertise, his profession displays a deep capacity to align expertise with nationwide priorities and information organizations by way of durations of change and alternative.
A Georgia Tech alumnus, Gazarik at present serves as school director of the Engineering Management Program on the University of Colorado Boulder and as an element‑time workers member on the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. He beforehand held senior management roles at NASA, together with director of engineering at NASA Langley Research Center and inaugural affiliate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). In trade, he spent eight years as vp of engineering at Ball Aerospace, main its strategic progress from an elite science contractor right into a strategic nationwide safety asset that doubled in measurement.
“Mike Gazarik brings a rare combination of technical depth, executive leadership, and deep government experience,” mentioned Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech’s govt vp for Research. “He knows large research enterprises operate within the realities of policy and budget and has a proven ability to align technology with mission priorities while earning trust across stakeholders. We are excited to welcome Mike back to Georgia Tech to lead GTRI at a pivotal moment for research and innovation.”
GTRI employs greater than 3,000 workers, conducting practically $1 billion in annual analysis in areas resembling autonomous programs, cybersecurity, electromagnetics, digital warfare, modeling and simulation, sensors, programs engineering, and risk programs. GTRI’s famend researchers mix science, engineering, economics, and coverage to handle challenges going through nationwide safety, trade, and society.
For practically a century, GTRI has partnered with authorities and trade to ship options to probably the most mission-critical challenges going through our nation,” mentioned Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “We are proud to welcome Mike Gazarik to lead a crown jewel of our research enterprise and a crucial component of our nation’s science and technology fabric. His experience and leadership will strengthen GTRI’s ability to deliver on its mission and help make our nation safer, healthier, and more competitive.”
Gazarik is well known for main advanced analysis enterprises with a concentrate on stability, strategic alignment, and mission impression. At NASA, he helped form the company’s science and expertise enterprise in periods of fiscal constraint and technical danger, sustaining stability throughout broad mission areas and forming STMD to consolidate expertise growth. At Ball Aerospace, he guided vital progress and aligned technique with evolving nationwide safety and civil house wants. His tutorial work has centered on getting ready engineering leaders for mission-driven organizations — expertise that aligns carefully with GTRI’s function as a trusted associate to authorities and trade.
He earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech. Gazarik is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a former chair of AIAA’s Corporate Strategic Committee, and was elected to the AIAA Board of Trustees in 2025. His honors embody NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Silver Snoopy Award, the 2023 AIAA Rocky Mountain Section Educator of the Year, and recognition as Engineering Manager of the Year by the American Society of Engineering Management.
“GTRI has a remarkable legacy of delivering solutions that matter for the nation,” mentioned Gazarik. “I’m honored to return to Georgia Tech and lead an organization that combines deep technical expertise with a mission-driven culture. My focus will be on listening, building on GTRI’s strengths, and ensuring we continue to advance research that makes a real difference for our partners and society.”
As director, Gazarik will lead GTRI’s multidisciplinary analysis enterprise, advancing its mission to ship excessive‑impression science and expertise options in help of nationwide safety, house programs, and demanding societal wants.