Dr. John Olds

Dr. John Olds is the founder of SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc. (SEI), and currently serves as the corporation’s Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Dr. Olds is responsible for the strategic growth and overall management of the company, as well as establishing an integrated vision for the company’s various operating divisions and technical activities. He also has ongoing technical roles within the company and holds a joint title as one of the firm’s Principal Engineers. Presently, Dr. Olds serves as the Executive Director of the FastForward Study Group, an ad hoc group of individuals interested in pre-competitive collaboration and research focused on commercial point-to-point flight (PTP) passenger and cargo services. The group is informally hosted by SpaceWorks Commercial, and currently consists of over 20 members from industry, government and academe. Dr. Olds has over 20 years of experience in the aerospace sector, including positions in private consulting, large aerospace industry, academia, and small business. From 1995 – 2006, Dr. Olds served as a professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the director of the school’s Space Systems Design Lab. Prior to that, he was affiliated with General Dynamics’ Space Systems Division and later N. C. State University’s Mars Mission Research Center. In his professional and academic careers, Dr. Olds has been active in the field of advanced space transportation systems analysis and design with particular emphasis on the integration of automated software analyses using multidisciplinary analysis techniques. He is author or co-author of over 100 technical papers related to conceptual design of advanced space systems since 1986 and is a former Fellow of the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). He has led or participated in a wide range of aerospace concept design studies related to advanced launch systems, human exploration missions, LEO-based satellite constellations, lunar resource missions, space solar power satellites, and military spaceplane concepts. Dr. Olds holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from N.C. State University, an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from N.C. State University. Dr. Olds is a native of South Carolina. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Georgia and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has received both NASA TGIR and NASA Group Achievement awards for his participation in previous NASA space systems design projects.