Ken Wisian
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN - BUREAU OF ECON GEO
Associate Director
Ken Wisian, Ph.D., Major General, US Air Force (retired), is Associate State Geologist and Associate Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geoscience, The University of Texas at Austin. At the Bureau of Economic Geology, he leads a division of 50+ scientists and engineers working many areas of applied geosciences including geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, water resources, the environment, seismicity, and mineral resource exploration and mapping. Dr. Wisian is a geophysicist whose main research is in geothermal energy. Other research includes; planetary geology/space exploration, the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI), and international relations. Dr Wisian teaches Life in the Universe and Geothermal Systems. He also holds appointments in the Center for Space Research and Geological Sciences Department at UT Austin, is a charter member of the Center for Planetary Systems Habitability at UT Austin and is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society. Previously, Dr. Wisian was a senior state executive responsible for disaster recovery, oil spill prevention and response, and coastal infrastructure and environmental protection for Texas. Militarily, General Wisian, a navigator/bombardier, flew bombers, transports and fighters, and commanded the 147th Reconnaissance Wing flying the MQ-1 Predator (drone). General Wisian is a graduate of the US Air Force Test Pilot School and has more than 70 hours of medium and high-risk test flights as well as combat time in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. His combat medals include the Bronze Star and Air Medal.