Dr. Dancila is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington, where he teaches and advises graduate and undergraduate students, and conducts research with a concentration in the areas of wind energy, composite and smart materials and structures, tailoring of failure and deformation modes, inflatable space structures, space tethers, fatigue and fracture, active material modulated flow control, rotorcraft, and manned/UAV airship technology. He held an earlier academic appointment as Assistant Professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech, where he taught courses at both the undergraduate and the graduate level, and has advised undergraduate and graduate students on academic matters as well as research, leading to three Ph.D. and five M.S. degrees. Prior to that he held a Postdoctoral Fellow appointment in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech. Since 2003 Dr. Dancila has initiated and managed two small businesses focused on innovative engineering solutions in the areas of inflatable structures and airship technology from concept to modeling, to testing and design, and practical implementation. He has authored ten refereed and over thirty conference publications, and has been awarded three U.S patents, with another application pending. Dr. Dancila has experience as a private pilot with glider and FAA Single Engine Land ratings.Specialties: Composite and smart materials and structures; Flow control; Wind energy; Elastic deformation and failure mode tailoring; Inflatable space structures; Space tethers; Rotorcraft; Airship technology.