Chair and Professor - Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering
Gross received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from WVU in 2011, received his undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering from WVU in 2007, and was WVU's Student Body President from 2006-2007. From 2011 to December 2013, he worked as Research Technologist in the Near Earth Tracking Applications Group at Caltech's NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His research focuses on robotic systems and unmanned aerial system with an emphasis on perception and localization. He directs the WVU Navigation Lab, is a coordinator of WVU’s growing robotics program, and was the lead for WVU’s Space Robotics Challenge 2 team.
He is past recipient of an NGA New Investigator Program grant (2015), AFOSR Faculty Fellowship (2015), WVU Big XII Faculty Fellowship (2015), and WVU Statler College Outstanding teaching (2017), New Researcher of the Year (2016), MMAE Academies of Distinguished Alumni Teaching (2019) and Outstanding Research – Senior Level (2021) awards. Gross is an Associate Fellow (elected in 2024 class) of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Senior Member (elevated in 2022) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and member of the Institute of Navigation (ION). He was named the 2024 recipient of the ION’s Per Enge Early Achievement award and 2024 recipient of the ION’s Samuel M. Burka award. He serves as an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems (T-AES) for navigation systems.
Education
Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University 2011
B.S., Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University 2007
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, West Virginia University 2007