Dr. Henry "Harry" McDonald (born in Glasgow, Scotland) is the Distinguished Professor and Chair of Computational Engineering

Computational engineering

Computational science and engineering is a relatively new discipline of engineering. It is typically offered as a masters or doctorate program at several institutions...

 at the University of Tennessee

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

 in Chattanooga. He holds a BSc. and a DSc. from the University of Glasgow.

Career

McDonald was educated there in aeronautical engineering and worked in the U.K. aerospace industry on a number of both civil and military aircraft before immigrating to the U.S. In the U.S. he became a U.S. citizen and was a staff member in large corporate research laboratory, United Technologies Research Center, where he concentrated on turbomachinery and what eventually became known as Computational Fluid Dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated as CFD, is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the interaction of liquids and gases with...

. McDonald followed this by forming a small R&D company in Connecticut, Scientific Research Associates.

It was while at Scientific Research Associates that McDonald, with Roger Briley pioneered the Block Implict Method, a scheme capable of obtaining numerical solutions to systems
of nonlinear multidimensional partial differential equations. He was also asked to assist the NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 team investigating the Challenger disaster

Space Shuttle Challenger

Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...

. Subsequently he became a member of the Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....

 team investigating a Titan motor failure.

Following this period of time, McDonald held a number of academic posts at Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...

 and Mississippi State

Mississippi State University

The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...

 before accepting an Interagency Personnel Appointment at NASA where he was the Center Director at NASA Ames Research Laboratory from 1996 to 2002. During his stay at NASA, McDonald led an Aeromechanical Team investigation of a V-22 Osprey

V-22 Osprey

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, military, tiltrotor aircraft with both a vertical takeoff and landing , and short takeoff and landing capability...

 accident, reporting to the Assistant Secretary of Defense. At the request of a NASA administrator, McDonald then led a special investigation into space shuttle mishaps and this preceded the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...

. This particular investigation identified many of the systemic issues later cited by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board

Columbia Accident Investigation Board

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board was convened by NASA to investigate the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-107 upon atmospheric re-entry on February 1, 2003. In addition to determining the cause of the accident, the panel also recommended changes that should be made...

. During his tenure McDonald also initiated the University Affiliated Research Center, the NASA Research Park, and the Space Science and Astrobiology Division.

Memberships and awards

McDonald is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow and Honorary Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a Fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society. In 2008, McDonald was appointed an Honorary Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) (UK) presented its 2009 Gold Medal Award to McDonald for work of an outstanding nature in aerospace. The event marked the centennial of the first Royal Aeronautical Society's Gold Medal which was awarded to the Wright Brothers in 1909.

2009 also saw Dr McDonald inducted into the NASA Hall of Fame for providing, "...exceptional leadership and keen technical insight to NASA Ames as the Center re-invented itself in the late 1990s."