Dr. David Staack
Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
David Staack, Ph.D. is Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research at The Texas A&M University System; a system of 11 universities and 8 state agencies with externally funded research expenditures of $1.3 billion annually. In his administrative role Dr. Staack supports multi-university and multi-agency research initiatives, intellectual property and commercialization, institutional infrastructure projects, research compliance and business practices and industry partnerships across the A&M System. Prior to this role, Dr. Staack served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Interim Director of the Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute. In that capacity, he led the establishment of the institute, including the planning of new facilities, research programs, and workforce development initiatives, all made possible by the appropriation of $226 million to the institute through the Texas CHIPS Act. Previously, in other administrative roles, Dr. Staack served for five years as the College of Engineering Director of Undergraduate Laboratory Instruction, where he led the design and implementation of a new common laboratory and makerspace infrastructure, benefiting over 12,000 students in the Zachary Engineering Education Complex. He has also served on the Faculty Senate and as Chair of the Faculty Senate Research Committee.
Dr. Staack is also currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. He teaches courses in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, plasma engineering, and experimental design. Dr. Staack leads an active research program as the principal investigator at the Plasma Engineering and Non-Equilibrium Processing Research Laboratory, where his group investigates various plasma discharge and electron beam phenomena and their applications. His research spans diverse fields, including energy transition technologies, medical device and sensor development, hypersonic and spacecraft propulsion, environmental remediation, oil and gas reforming, carbon sequestration, biofuels, drilling technologies, semiconductor processing, advanced manufacturing, and high-speed optical, laser, and x-ray sources and diagnostics. His work includes both fundamental research and industry translation, with over 100 archival publications and more than 70 patent publications.
David Staack has been a faculty member at Texas A&M University since 2009. He joined Texas A&M after receiving his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University, working for four years at Princeton University’s Department of Energy Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and completing his M.S. and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia in 2000.
Educational Background
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University (2008)
Graduate Researcher, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, Princeton University (2000 – 2004)
M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia (2000)
B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia (2000)
Employment History
2024-present Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Texas A&M University System, College Station, Texas, USA
2015-present Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, Mechanical Engineering, College Station, TX, USA
2023-2024 Interim Director Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute, Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX, USA
2022-2024 Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX, USA
2016-2021 Director for Undergraduate Laboratory Instruction, Texas A&M University, College of Engineering, College Station, TX, USA
2009-2014 Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University, Mechanical Engineering, College Station, TX, USA
Awards and Honors (Selected)
Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Career Development Professor – 2017-2021
Phillips 66 First Year Faculty Fellow Award – 2016
Engineering Excellence Award, Texas A&M University – 2015
Pioneer Natural Resources Faculty Fellow I – 2014-2017
Peggy L. and Charles L. Brittan ’65 Teaching Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching – 2014
3M Company Non-Tenured Faculty Award – 2013-2015
Select Young Faculty Award, Texas A&M University Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) – 2012, 2014
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, National Science Foundation – 2011