{"id":489,"date":"2026-06-15T08:56:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/applied\/?page_id=489"},"modified":"2026-06-15T08:57:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:57:25","slug":"chad-davis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/applied\/faculty\/chad-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"Chad Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading alignwide\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--x-small)\">Chad Davis<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alignwide has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top:0\"><em><em>Adjunct Associate Professor of Practice<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-style-columns-reverse alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-002ffff5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading orange-mark\">Biography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prior to joining the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Practice, he built a distinguished career spanning more than 25 years in human spaceflight, aerospace systems engineering, military aviation, and program leadership. He currently serves as Senior Manager of Human Spaceflight Systems Engineering at Northrop Grumman, where he leads systems engineering activities supporting NASA&#8217;s Artemis, Gateway, Commercial LEO Destination, Commercial Resupply Services, and future human exploration programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout his aerospace career, he has held leadership positions supporting the development and operation of numerous NASA and commercial spaceflight programs, including the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for Gateway, Cygnus cargo missions to the International Space Station, Orion Launch Abort System, rocket engine development (for Antares &amp; the space shuttle) and advanced deep-space habitation concepts. He has led spacecraft integration, mission operations, systems engineering, test programs, and digital engineering initiatives while collaborating with NASA, international partners, commercial industry, and government agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to his industry leadership, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and as Assistant Director for DoD Human Spaceflight Payload Engineering in the U.S. Air Force Reserve with the Space Test Program detachment at NASA JSC. He is a USAF Command Pilot with more than two decades of military aviation experience supporting intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, special operations, and homeland defense missions flying multiple weapon systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PhD, Systems Engineering, Concentration in Space Systems (pending defense), Colorado State University<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MS, Aerospace Engineering (Summa Cum Laude), University of Tennessee, Knoxville<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BS, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Minor in Aerospace Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small)\">Human Spaceflight Systems Engineering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spacecraft Habitation Systems and Lunar Infrastructure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mission Operations and Crewed Spacecraft Development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Space Exploration Architectures and Moon-to-Mars Missions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hypersonic Systems and Atmospheric Reentry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Digital Engineering and Space System Architectures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human Systems Integration (HSI) and Human Factors Engineering (HFE)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professional Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small)\">Senior Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Member, International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Member, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Certifications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small)\">FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Active TS\/SCI Security Clearance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>USAF Command Pilot, Evaluator &amp; Instructor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Awards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small)\">Multiple NASA and Human Spaceflight Program Team Recognition Awards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multiple RNASA Team Stellar Awards and Nominations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orb-1 Mission Honors Award<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orbital Sciences Warp 10 Award<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meritorious Service Medal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Air Medal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Air Force Commendation Medal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>University of Tennessee Engineering &#8220;T&#8221; Senior Honor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 15%;height: 16px;margin-bottom: 24px;border-bottom: 6px solid #ff8200\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Selected Publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--xx-small)\">C. Davis and R. Sega: \u201cUsing MBSE in Feasibility Study by Developing a Reference Architecture for a Deep Space Habitat.\u201d AIAA SPACE Conference, 2017.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>C. Davis and K. Peek: \u201cFeasibility Study for Using Cygnus as a Habitat in Deep Space Exploration.\u201d AIAA SPACE Conference, 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>C. Davis and K. Peek: \u201cCygnus Return to Flight: The View from the Mission Director\u2019s Console.\u201d AIAA SPACE Conference, 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>C. Davis and J. E. Lyne: \u201cCommercial Transportation to the International Space Station Using Commercial Off-the-Shelf Hardware.\u201d AIAA\/AAS Astrodynamics Conference, 2010.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column pull-right is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull utkwds-stack-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-390953e2 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-002ffff5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column utkwds-stack has-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-1e559e63 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-top-style:none;border-top-width:0px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--small)\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1086\" height=\"1448\" src=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/applied\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/UTK-Profile-Photo-2.jpg\" alt=\"Headshot of Chad Davis\" class=\"wp-image-490\" style=\"border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--orange);border-bottom-width:5px;aspect-ratio:2\/3;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/applied\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/UTK-Profile-Photo-2.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/applied\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/UTK-Profile-Photo-2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/applied\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/06\/UTK-Profile-Photo-2-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1086px) 100vw, 1086px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5f1e30ea wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">Contact Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Email<br><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:cyang36@utk.edu\">cdavis20@utk.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chad Davis Adjunct Associate Professor of Practice Biography Prior to joining the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Practice, he built a distinguished career spanning more than 25 years in human spaceflight, aerospace systems engineering, military aviation, and program leadership. He currently serves as Senior Manager of Human Spaceflight Systems Engineering [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"parent":36,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"no-title","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-489","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chad Davis - Department of Applied Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/applied\/faculty\/chad-davis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chad Davis - Department of Applied Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chad Davis Adjunct Associate Professor of Practice Biography Prior to joining the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Practice, he built a distinguished career spanning more than 25 years in human spaceflight, aerospace systems engineering, military aviation, and program leadership. 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