Michael Barnhardt

Mike joined the Game Changing Development Program in April 2023 as the Program Element Manager (PEM) for Advanced Manufacturing projects. As the PEM for Advanced Manufacturing, Mike oversees research and technology development across a diverse range of applications including in-space manufacturing of electronics and other components, composite structures for in-space and lunar infrastructure, and metal additive manufacturing of rocket engines using high-performance alloys. Prior to joining the program office, Mike was the Project Manager and Principal Investigator for NASA’s Entry Systems Modeling project from 2016-2023. In that role, he provided technical leadership and management of research activities across the spectrum of NASA’s Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) capability area: thermal protection materials, aerothermodynamic and aerodynamic modeling, and guidance and control for entry systems. Additionally, he has been integrally involved in the development of EDL research solicitations for academia and subsequent collaborations with the principal investigators and their students. Mike began his NASA career in 2008 at Ames Research Center, where he was lead developer of the DPLR and US3D computational fluid dynamics software. He was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Award in 2013 for his contributions to the advancement of aerothermodynamic modeling of entry systems, and he was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2021. He holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Minnesota.