Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, is the President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies in the country. Founded in 1891, the Academy has been training business leaders, ship captains, engineers, and professional officers in the 19th, 20th, and now the 21st century. Offering seven undergraduate and three graduate majors, the Academy is one of two “special mission” public universities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Upon graduation from the Academy in 1985, McDonald pursued an engineering career and earned a Master of Science in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He returned to his alma mater in 1995 to serve as Director of Cooperative Education, a role in which he developed and implemented the cooperative education program and dramatically increased placement rates for undergraduate interns and graduating seniors. Appointed as Dean of Enrollment Management in 1999, he led the rebranding of the Academy which resulted in a dramatic increase in numbers and diversity of incoming freshmen. He has since served as Vice President for Operations, heading up a major campus building expansion, and as Executive Vice President. President McDonald holds a Doctor of Law and Policy from Northeastern University and has served as an adjunct professor in the Academy’s emergency management graduate program. He assumed the role of President in August 2015 following unanimous votes of the MMA Board of Trustees and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, with the rank of Rear Admiral conferred by the U.S. Maritime Administrator. President McDonald is active in or has served on several community and professional organizations including the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce, Barnstable School Committee, Sturgis Charter School, Cape Cod Collaborative, and the Marine Society at Salem. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, President McDonald now resides in Marstons Mills with his wife Beth and their two children Kathryn and Harrison.
Education: Ph.D. in Dynamics and Control, Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, USA • M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt • B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering, Cairo University, Egypt
Background: Dr. Ashraf Omran is an Associate Professor in the Facilities Engineering Department at MMA. He earned his Bachelor's and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Cairo University in Egypt. His master’s research focused on the kinematics, dynamics, and control of Stewart manipulators, and during that time he served as a teaching and research assistant. Following a competitive international scholarship, Dr. Omran completed his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Virginia in 2010. His doctoral research, partially funded by the State of Virginia, investigated the dynamics and control of MAGLEV trains. After completing his Ph.D., he remained at ODU as a research scientist and adjunct assistant professor, contributing to several high-profile research projects. These included: Enhancements to the ATOS NASA Flight Simulator in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and Spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations research with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Omran later transitioned to the automotive industry, joining CNH–Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Chicago, where he worked for nearly eight years. During his tenure, he led the advanced development and testing of powertrain and transmission control systems, resulting in 24 international patents. His work encompassed controller design, model-based testing, and hands-on validation in both lab and field for construction and agricultural vehicles. Returning to academia, Dr. Omran has held faculty positions at several universities including: Texas A&M University – Kingsville, where he launched the Aerospace Engineering Minor and developed a new course in Vehicle Systems Dynamics, Loyola University Chicago, Johns Hopkins University and currently he teaches at MMA. Dr. Omran’s scholarly work focuses on dynamics, robotics, and control, and he has published widely in these areas. His accomplishments have been recognized through numerous awards, including the 2010 Lee M. Klinefelter Faculty Award for Overall Excellence in Aerospace Engineering from ODU. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and regularly serves as a peer reviewer for leading journals published by IEEE, ASME, and AIAA. He has also chaired multiple technical sessions at the American Control Conference. Currently, Dr. Omran in the process of releasing his textbook, 'Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines,' which is scheduled to be published by Springer: Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines: Modeling and Design with MATLAB®, Simulink® and Simscape™ Multibody™: Omran, Ashraf: 9783031727009.
Teaching Interests: Dr. Omran’s teaching interests span a wide range of interdisciplinary engineering subjects, including: • Dynamics and Control Systems • Robotics and Mechatronics • Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics • Vehicle Powertrain and Transmission Systems • Aerospace Engineering (Flight Dynamics, Spacecraft Dynamics) • Operational Controls and Facilities Engineering Applications • Engineering Design and Experiential Learning He is deeply committed to project-based and hands-on learning, integrating real-world engineering problems into the classroom through laboratory instruction, simulations, and industry collaboration.
Research Interests: Dr. Omran’s research focuses on the modeling, simulation, and control of dynamic systems across several engineering domains. His specific interests include: • Dynamics and Nonlinear Control of Mechanical and Aerospace Systems • Vehicle Systems Dynamics and Powertrain Control • Robotics, including Parallel Manipulators and Autonomous Systems • Aerospace Applications: Spacecraft Rendezvous, MAGLEV Trains, and Flight Simulators • Model-Based Design and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Testing • Engineering Education and Experiential Learning Pedagogy His work has led to numerous peer-reviewed publications and international patents, and he has collaborated with organizations including NASA, Lockheed Martin, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Education: BSEE (1990) MSEE (2000) Northeastern University
Background: Electric Power System T&D Operations and Planning Registered Professional Engineer (MA)
HA 209A