Ronald S. Bunker

Ronald Bunker is a Principal Research Engineer at the General Electric Global Research Center in Niskayuna, NY. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University in 1988. After receiving his PhD, he was awarded a one-year post-doctoral research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany under which he carried out research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Dr. Bunker subsequently joined GE Aircraft Engines in Cincinnati, performing heat transfer design and analysis for both large commercial engines and advanced military engines, primarily in the critical cooling areas of the high-pressure turbine vanes and blades. In 1993, Dr. Bunker joined the GE Global Research Center where he has worked on research and development activities focused on turbine vane and blade internal and external heat transfer, combustor cooling, and manufacturing methods supporting both GE Aviation and GE Energy. Dr. Bunker has been awarded 60 US patents, with 50 more pending, all dealing with gas turbine and power technologies. He is also the winner of the 2008 ASME Gas Turbine Award, and Past Chair of the Board of the ASME International Gas Turbine Institute.