Dr. Rickey J. Shyne joined the staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, Cleveland, OH in February 1984. Dr. Shyne was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) in August 2005 and was appointed the Director of Research and Engineering on February 3, 2014 where he is responsible for leading and managing Glenn’s research and development competencies in propulsion, communications, power, materials and structures for extreme environments with a staff of approximately 1100 scientists, engineers and administrative staff in support of NASA’s aeronautics and space missions.
From 2007 to February 3, 2014, Shyne was the Director of Glenn’s Facilities and Test Directorate, where he was responsible for managing Glenn’s institutional infrastructure and Lewis Field ground and flight test assets. Since joining Glenn in 1984, Dr. Shyne has gained extensive experience performing computational and experimental modeling of components for gas turbine, ramjet and scramjet propulsion systems. Leading up to his current position, Dr. Shyne served in multiple positions, such as Deputy Director of Engineering and Technical Services, Deputy Director of Safety and Mission Assurance, and Nozzle Branch Chief in the Research and Technology Directorate.
Dr. Shyne received a Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee State University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Toledo, both in Mechanical Engineering. In addition, he received a doctorate of philosophy in engineering science with a concentration in fluid/thermal sciences from the University of Toledo, completed the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive Fellows Executive Management Program in Public Policy, the Aspen Institute Executive Management Seminar, and the Pennsylvania State University Engineer/Scientist as a Manager Executive Development Program. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Ohio.
Dr. Shyne received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 2003, the 2003 National Technical Association Engineer and Technical Achiever of the Year awards, the 2006 NASA Glenn Advancing Careers and Employee Success Mentor of the Year award, and the 2008 Black Engineer of the Year award for Professional Achievement in Government, National Society of Black Engineers Golden Torch Award for Career Achievement in Government (2008) and a Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service (2013) by President Obama from a select group of career senior executives who have provided exceptional service to the American people over an extended period of time. He was selected for the 2014 Federal Professional Engineer of the Year Award, the 2015 Outstanding Alumni of the Year for the University of Toledo Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department and the 2015 University of Toledo College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award. He was also selected as an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Commission (ABET) evaluator by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to review mechanical engineering programs for accreditation. Dr. Shyne has authored or co-authored 16 technical publications and three peer-reviewed international journal articles in the fields of aerodynamics/fluid dynamics and is a co-author of NTA’s book titled Careers in Science and Technology.
He is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and also holds professional memberships in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Technical Association. Additionally, he serves on the Tennessee State University (TSU) College of Engineering doctoral advisory committee in computer information systems engineering, the TSU College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Committee and the Central State University Advisory Committee for a National Science Foundation grant on increasing minority participation in science and mathematics. He also serves as an ex-offico board member of the Cleveland Engineering Society and Minds Matter a non-profit whose mission is to transform the lives of accomplished high school students from low-income families by broadening their dreams and preparing them for college success and serves on the board of directors of the Southwest General Health Center.
He is a member of the Peoples Community Church and is a life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Dr. Shyne and his wife Eulanda are the proud parents of two sons, Rickey II and Eric, and they reside in Strongsville, OH.