Brian Gunter

Brian Gunter is an Associate Professor in the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, part of the College of Engineering. His academic journey began with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Rice University, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where he specialized in orbital mechanics. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Dr. Gunter served on the faculty of Delft University of Technology (TU-Delft) in the Netherlands as a member of the Physical and Space Geodesy section.

Dr. Gunter's research spans several critical areas in aerospace engineering and geodesy. His primary research interests include satellite geodesy, space systems, orbital mechanics, Earth and planetary observation, and remote sensing. He has led significant spacecraft missions including the RANGE cubesat mission (Georgia Tech's first satellite to reach orbit in 2018) and the TARGIT (Tethering and Ranging mission of the Georgia Institute of Technology) 3U CubeSat mission launched in December 2021. His work involves investigations into current and future laser altimetry missions, monitoring changes in the polar ice sheets using satellite data, applications of satellite constellations/formations, and topics surrounding kinematic orbit determination.

• NASA group achievement award for work on the GRACE mission
• NASA Earth System Science Graduate Fellowship
• AIAA Associate Fellow (2021 Class)
• Provost Teaching and Learning Fellow
• Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) Faculty Fellow

Dr. Gunter has been instrumental in mentoring the next generation of aerospace engineers. His advisees include Byron Davis, who successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on 'The Improvement of Multi-Satellite Orbit Determination through the Incorporation of Intersatellite Ranging Observations,' and M.S. students Danny Nguyen and Christopher Murphy. He has also guided students Nassif and Lee through their Ph.D. qualifying exams. As an educator, Dr. Gunter has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on satellite orbit determination, Earth and planetary observation, scientific applications of GPS, and space systems design.

Dr. Gunter leads the Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL) at Georgia Tech, where his team engages in a broad range of research activities from satellite remote sensing to novel mission concept design to the development and operations of small satellite missions. He serves as the Geodesy chair for the Fall AGU Meeting Program Committee and is a member of the AIAA Astrodynamics Technical Committee. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the International Association of Geodesy (IAG).