Rate My Professor Thomas Alberts

Dr. Thomas E. Alberts is a full Professor and Interim Director in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Old Dominion University, where he has been a faculty member for over 40 years. He also serves as Deputy Director of the Virginia Institute for Spaceflight and Autonomy. Alberts received his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986, with a focus on dynamics and controls, vibrations, and robotics. He earned his M.S. and B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1983 and 1982, respectively. His career includes funded research for agencies such as the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, DARPA, Office of Naval Research, NASA, National Science Foundation, U.S. Air Force, Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, Britain’s Science and Engineering Research Council, and industry partners. Currently, his research emphasizes uncrewed aerial systems, including training and research collaborations with U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command over five years. He has also led a project to measure waves over 70 feet for surfing, sponsored by Red Bull and tested in Nazaré, Portugal, anticipated to feature in the third season of the HBO series 100 Foot Wave.

Alberts' research specializations encompass uncrewed aerial systems, magnetically levitated transportation systems, robotics, smart structures, active noise control, internal combustion engine control, sensor design, spacecraft control, flight control, and active and passive control of flexible structures. He is the author of numerous journal and conference publications, editor of several conference proceedings, and holder of a U.S. patent related to passive damping. Key publications include 'Morphing shape metastructures using the hybrid position feedback control and bistable structural elements' (Nonlinear Dynamics, 2025, with Simsek and Bilgen); 'On the Influence of Structural Flexibility on Feedback Control Stability for Magnetically Suspended Vehicles' (Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, 2011, with Hanasoge); 'Design and Analysis of Fiber Enhanced Viscoelastic Damping Polymers' (Journal of Vibration and Acoustics, 1995); and 'Passivity-Based Controllers for Flexible Multibody Systems' (IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 1995, with Kelkar and Joshi). His contributions include chairing ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division Education and Aerospace panels and serving as Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control. Major awards and honors comprise the 2010 Excellence in Industrial Partnering Award from the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, 1988 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Mechanical Engineering Department at Old Dominion University, SERC Visiting Fellowships in 1994 and 1995, and induction into Sigma Xi Honor Society in 1984.