Dr. Robert Ambrose
J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering
Robert Ambrose earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas in Austin. He joined Texas A&M University in 2021, and currently holds the J. Mike Walker ‘66 Department of Mechanical Engineering endowed chair and is the Texas Engineering and Experiment Station director for Space and Robotics Initiatives. He holds affiliated faculty positions in Aerospace Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering. He serves as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Robotics and Automation Society vice president for Industrial Activities. Dr. Ambrose retired from NASA as a member of the federal government’s Senior Executive Service and currently serves as chair of the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology O’Donnell Innovation Award committee. Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, he was recently awarded the American Society of Engineers’ Thomas A. Edison Patent Award. With a career that spans academia, industry, and government, he is internationally known for significant contributions to programs such as the Johnson Space Center, SpaceX, Boeing and Orion Spacecraft and the International Space Station. At Texas A&M, he leads several new research teams, is the associate director of the recently announced $200M Texas A&M Space Institute and is teaching the next generation of mechanical engineers.