John D. Williams

John D. Williams is Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Electric Propulsion & Plasma Engineering Laboratory at Colorado State University. His research models erosion phenomena in ion thrusters and develops plasma technologies for aerospace and energy applications, including thermoelectric materials and thin-film solar cells.

He holds a PhD (1991) and BS (1986) in Mechanical Engineering from CSU. With over 120 publications and 19 patents, Williams leads NASA/NSF-funded projects on propulsion systems. Recent work focuses on Hall thruster diagnostics and low-orbit plasma simulation. Awards include the Jack E. Cermak Undergraduate Advising Award (2011) and repeated recognition as 'Most Helpful Professor' by engineering students.