Prof. Parker is the L. S. Randolph Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. Previously he was a Distinguished Professor Chair and the Executive Dean at the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute and served 13 years on the faculty at Ohio State University. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.
Prof. Parker’s research examines the vibration and stability of high-speed mechanical systems. He has published over 100 archival journal papers and 120 conference papers. His individual research funding exceeds $10M from a range of federal and industry sponsors. He has consulted for several major companies where analyses using his research have solved vibration problems in the automotive, helicopter, wind turbine, and aircraft engine industries.
Prof. Parker is a Fellow of ASME and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received the US Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the National Science Foundation CAREER, and the US Army Young Investigator Awards, as well as the ASME Gustus Larson Award, Ford Chief Engineer Award, French government Poste Rouge Award, SAE Ralph Teetor Educational Award, and ASEE’sGlobal Engineering Educator and Outstanding Faculty Awards. He is an Editor for Mechanism and Machine Theory and ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustics.
Prof. Parker has been a Visiting Fellow at Risoe National Lab (Denmark), the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, Tokyo University, NASA Glenn Research Center, and INSA Lyon. He worked at The Aerospace Corporation for two years.