Thomas A. Ward

Dr. Thomas A. Ward is an American author and expert in aerospace, systems, and mechanical engineering. He is currently working as a university lecturer and senior research fellow at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr. Ward previously served as an aerospace engineer for the US Air Force (civilian) for eighteen years, both in the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2006, he made a career shift to academia. His areas of expertise and research include: propulsion systems, aircraft systems, missiles, endothermic jet fuels, alternative energy systems, and micro air vehicles. While in Malaysia, he has led award winning research resulting in the first fuel cell powered flying aircraft in Southeast Asia. He is currently leading a research team studying Biomimetic Micro Air Vehicles (BMAV), which are unmanned aircraft that mimic insect aerodynamic flight modes. He has served for several years as the lead faculty advisor for student teams competing in the Shell Eco Marathon Asia international competition, by designing a high-efficiency, zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell automobile. In this capacity his teams (at two different Malaysian universities) have won several medals and cash prizes. Dr. Ward also serves as the aerospace technical advisor for team Independent-X, a Malaysian-based team, competing for the Google Lunar X-Prize to land the first privately funded rover on the moon.