Dilip R. Ballal Early Career Award
Awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions in the gas turbine industry within the first five years of their career.
Lt. Col. Brian T. Bohan, PhD., is currently an Assistant Professor of Aeronautical Engineering in the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in Dayton, Ohio. He teaches graduate level classes in advanced turbomachinery, applied computational fluid dynamics, and aircraft design. His research is focused on compact gas-turbine combustion, gas-turbine engine controls, heat transfer, fluidic oscillating devices, and alternate methods and materials for manufacturing turbomachinery. As an academic he has authored over 30 technical journal and conference publications, including 8 at IGTI and 9 in ASME Journals, and three self-published genealogy books. A new compact gas-turbine engine configuration he designed that is ideal for power generation is currently patent pending. He is also a peer-reviewer for IGTI conference papers and ASME Journals. He is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, and Sigma Gamma Tau Aeronautical Engineering Honor Society.
Prior to his current position, Brian served as a test program manager in the guidance and navigation field in the 746th Test Squadron, a propulsion subject matter expert in a system program office in the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, as a deputy branch chief, program manager, and researcher in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s high and low speed aerodynamic configuration branches, and was a full-time student twice for his graduate degrees. Brian has served as a coach and mentor for aspiring engineers. He coached a FIRST Lego League Jr. team for elementary students in 2019. He was a mentor at several AFIT Engineers Week events, which is a hands-on program for students in grades 6-12 and covers a wide range of engineering disciplines. Through all of his assignments Brian has earned a number of awards and recognition including; the AFIT Commandant’s Award for the most exceptional master’s thesis in the graduating class, AIAA Research Excellence Award, Capt. Roland R. Obenland Annual Engineering Award, and was a member of the AFRL Turbine Engine Division Team of the Year, among others.
Brian received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Clarkson University in 2005, and his Master’s and Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2011 and 2018, respectively. He is also a graduate of the Air Force Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College, and holds Air Force Acquisition Professional certifications in Systems Engineering and Test and Evaluation.