Vice President and Chief Engineer
Dr. Paul Munafo
Vice President and Chief Engineer
Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc.
Dr. Paul Munafo is responsible for setting engineering standards and engineering excellence at Teledyne Brown Engineering. Dr. Munafo, former Chief Engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, joined Teledyne Brown in early 2008 as Vice President and Chief Engineer.
Prior to joining Teledyne Brown, Dr. Munafo served as Vice President of Engineering Services at B.G. Smith and Associates, Inc. in Huntsville, Alabama, where he led the company’s aerospace engineering business.
Dr. Munafo had a very distinguished career at NASA for over 30 years, with numerous exceptional achievements to his credit. He served as the Independent Technical Authority for Space Propulsion during the Space Shuttle return-to-flight activities and led NASA’s investigation of the Space Shuttle’s External Tank following the Columbia tragedy, providing vital information to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. He also led numerous failure analysis activities, within and outside Marshall Space Flight Center, which resulted in establishing a national and international reputation as an expert in failure analysis.
Prior to joining NASA, Dr. Munafo served as lead engineer on the Saturn Program, specializing in the prevention of premature structural failure. Early in his career, he also performed testing and analysis to formulate the fracture mechanics-based proof test rationale for launch vehicle pressure vessels, which is still in use today.
Dr. Munafo holds a Doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from Auburn University, a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Munafo has been widely honored throughout his distinguished career. He has been named an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Fellow and an ASM International Fellow. Dr. Munafo received NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2005 and the previous year was named National Engineer of the Year by AIAA and Astronautics Engineer of the Year by the National Space Club. While at NASA, he received the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive, the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership, more than 50 Director’s Commendations and Special Service Awards, and was a three-time winner of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He was also selected as an Auburn University Outstanding Alumnus in 2005.