John M. Sankovic, Ph.D.President and CEO of Aerospace Ohio Institute
John Sankovic is the president and CEO of Ohio Aerospace Institute. As OAI’s leader, Sankovic prioritizes developing multi-university partnerships, driving research from university laboratories to Ohio’s industrial aerospace manufacturers and fostering novel collaborations between governments, industries and private organizations.
Sankovic comes to OAI following a distinguished 31-year career at NASA, where he most recently served as center chief technologist and director of the Office of Technology Incubation and Innovation. There, he received numerous awards, including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, six Agency Honor Group Achievement Awards and an R&D100 technology innovation award.
An industrious academic, Sankovic earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from The University of Akron, his MBA degree from Cleveland State University and his master’s and doctorate degrees in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Ohio with distinction by the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers for highest achievement on both licensure examinations. He holds three U.S. patents.
Inclined to share his knowledge and passion with future generations of innovators, Sankovic has taught numerous university courses over the past 15 years and authored or co-authored more than 70 technical publications on topics ranging from space propulsion and power to fluid mechanics and biomedical sciences.
The Ohio Aerospace Institute
The Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI) is a nonprofit 501(c) 3, the first NASA associated collaborative institute chartered to foster relationships between industry, education, and government agencies. Within the organization’s 32 years of experience it has enjoyed a robust membership program built through its lauded networking events and engagement. Work performed through OAI has gleaned dozens of patents and research projects that helped shape the aerospace industry in Ohio and beyond. In recent years, OAI has cast a broader net to foster international relationships, opening the doors for Ohio aerospace industries to expand their portfolio in a global arena.
OAI provides core research competencies in technology areas for NASA, the military and industry. Drawing from a broad discipline base of materials science, chemistry, mathematics, physics and engineering our Research Associates (3/4 with PhD’s) form specialized Research Teams. OAI researchers have particular strengths in Computational Modeling, Materials/Manufacturing, Structures, Vehicle Health Monitoring and Safety and Space Science and Exploration Technologies.