Dr. G.P. Peterson
President, Georgia Institute of Technology
In April 2009, Dr. G. P. “Bud” Peterson became the eleventh president of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Throughout his career, Peterson has played an active role in helping to establish the national education and research agendas, serving on numerous industry, government, and academic task forces and committees. He has previously served as chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder and provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
A distinguished scientist, Peterson was selected in 2008 by President George W. Bush to serve on the National Science Board through 2014. The Board oversees the National Science Foundation (NSF) and advises the President and Congress on national policy related to science and engineering research and education.
Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1975, a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1977, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1980, all from Kansas State University. He also earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1985.
He also has served as a member of a number of congressional task forces, research councils, and advisory boards, including the Office of Naval Research, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Energy, the National Research Council, and the National Academy of Engineering.
A fellow of both the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the AIAA, Peterson is the author or co-author of 14 books or book chapters, 165 refereed journal articles, and more than 140 conference publications. He also holds eight patents. Having served as editor or associate editor for eight different journals, he is currently serving on the editorial advisory board of two others. He is a member of Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Phi Kappa Phi.
Professional society awards include the Ralph James and the O. L. “Andy” Lewis awards from ASME, the Dow Outstanding Young Faculty Award from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the Pi Tau Sigma Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award from ASME, the AIAA Thermophysics Award, the ASME Memorial Award, the AIAA Sustained Service Award, and the Frank J. Malina Award from the International Astronautical Society.
G. P. Peterson was born September 1, 1952, in San Francisco, California, and raised in Prairie Village, a suburb of Kansas City, Kansas. He and his wife, Val, have four adult children.
