Ken Wisian, Ph.D., Major General USAF (retired), is the Associate Director of the Environmental Division, Bureau of Economic Geology, at the University of Texas at Austin, where he leads wide-ranging applied research in energy, environment and related economics.
A geophysicist with main research in geothermal energy, he is also a founding member of the Center for Planetary Systems Habitability, UT Austin. Dr. Wisian is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, is an advisor for Project InnerSpace (a non-profit foundation supporting geothermal development), and Powerhouse Texas (a non-profit supporting non-partisan energy education). Further, he is a board member of the Texas Military Forces Historical Foundation and has previously served on multiple other environmental-focused non-profits. Dr. Wisian is active in multiple high-tech/defense related start-ups.
Prior to returning to UT, Dr. Wisian served as a senior state executive for Texas responsible for disaster recovery, oil spill prevention and response and coastal protection.
Ken is a retired Major General and has combat time in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. His combat medals include the Bronze Star and Air Medal. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, he also has more than 70 hours of medium and high-risk test flights.
General Wisian served in the USAF as a navigator/bombardier, flew bombers, transports and fighters, and commanded the 147th Reconnaissance Wing flying the MQ-1 Predator (drone). He participated in or led military disaster response efforts for the Shuttle Columbia crash and multiple hurricanes.