Jonathan Black

Jonathan Black is a Professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. He serves as Director of the Aerospace and Ocean Systems Laboratory within the Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology, and Co-Director of the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space@VT). Additionally, he holds the Northrop Grumman Senior Faculty Fellowship in C4ISR. His work bridges mission platforms and payloads across multiple research centers at Virginia Tech.

Black's academic background includes a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he was a faculty member at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), where he founded and directed the Center for Space Research and Assurance, overseeing a $2M annual research portfolio and leading five spaceflight experiments.

His research focuses on autonomous systems, sensor data processing in low-SWAP environments, mission-driven payload control, and distributed resource management in space systems. Key areas include structural dynamics of deployable space structures, micro UAV development, and taskable satellite systems for defense, commercial, and scientific applications.

Black's leadership roles include directing the Aerospace and Ocean Systems Laboratory and contributing to the Hume Center’s national security initiatives. His work emphasizes cross-disciplinary collaboration and real-world application of advanced technologies in space systems engineering.