John L. Junkins is a professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University specializing in spacecraft navigation, guidance, dynamics and control. He holds the Royce E. Wisenbaker Endowed Chair at Texas A&M University and also serves as the founding director of the Texas A&M University Institute for Advanced Study. On November 24, 2020, Junkins was announced as the interim president of Texas A&M starting January 2021. Biography Junkins was born in Oakman, Georgia on May 23, 1943. Junkins' professional history has seen him working in government (NASA), industry, and academia over a five decade career. His work has supported numerous spaceflight missions, including the final three Apollo missions, and his inventions have led to commercial products including navigation sensors for autonomous aerial refueling of aircraft, and for pointing navigation of spacecraft based on star pattern recognition. Junkins was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1996 for contributions to flight mechanics and flexible vehicle control. He is also a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Junkins became interim President of Texas A&M University on January 1, 2021. Education 1965 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Auburn University, Alabama 1967 Master of Science, University of California, Los Angeles 1969 Doctor of Philosophy, University of California, Los Angeles Career chronology 1970–1977, University of Virginia 1978–1985, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 1985 – present, Texas A&M University Awards and honors 1983 Mechanics & Control of Flight Award, AIAA 1987 Dirk Brouwer Award, AAS 1988 J. Leland Atwood Award, AIAA 1990 Pendray Aerospace Literature Award, AIAA 1997 von Karman Lectureship in Astronautics Award, AIAA 1999 Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal, IAF 2003 Tycho Brahe Award, ION 2006 Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award, AIAA 2011 Life-Time Achievement Medal, ICCES 2019 Robert H. Goddard Astronautics Award, AIAA Works References External links John L. Junkins' personal webpage Living people Texas A&M University faculty Presidents of Texas A&M University 1943 births