Sometimes the universe leaves breadcrumbs.
For John Sankovic, Ph.D., the signs were subtle but striking. At The Sphere in Las Vegas, he noticed aerodynamic equations etched above a concession stand, a nod to the field that had shaped his career. On stage was Joe Walsh, who launched his music career in Kent coffee shops and bars while attending Kent State in the late 1960’s. In Florence, just steps from Kent State’s international campus, Sankovic stood in awe of Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old concepts on the principles of flight. These moments seemed to converge into a message: it was time to teach. And the place to do it was Kent State University.
“I’ve had this incredible journey across aerospace taking technology from research and development all the way to space operations, and suddenly everything started pointing in one direction,” Sankovic said. “And when I followed those signs, they led me here.”
Now a professor in Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering, Sankovic brings unmatched real-world perspective into the classroom. He spent 31 years at NASA, where he rose through the ranks to serve as chief technologist and director of the Office of Technology Incubation and Innovation at NASA Glenn Research Center. There, he helped set a record for technology transfer and licensing. He’s received some of NASA’s most prestigious honors, including the Outstanding Leadership Medal and six Agency Honor Group Achievement Awards, and was the inaugural recipient of the NASA/Cleveland Clinic Biomedical Engineering Fellowship.
Following his tenure at NASA, Sankovic served as president and CEO of the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), and later as executive vice president at Parallax Advanced Research. He led nationally significant research initiatives and secured more than $100 million in federal contracts, including multi-million-dollar partnerships focused on fluid dynamics, digital transformation for the U.S. Air Force, and the advancement of human-machine teaming.
But despite this high-profile trajectory, Sankovic has never lost sight of the human impact behind the technology. That’s exactly what he brings to his teaching philosophy at Kent State.
“When I started teaching aerodynamics, I knew jumping right into the math could be intimidating,” he said. “So, I started with experience. I wanted students to feel the forces of flight first, to see how those equations show up in the real world.”
He took his students to the Kent State Airport to connect textbook concepts to the aircraft they see flying every day. And in every lesson, he draws from his career to show how theory powers real innovation, from propulsion systems to biomedical devices.
“I want our students to see themselves in these careers,” he said. “And I want them to see that the path to get there isn’t just about solving equations. It’s about curiosity, persistence, and purpose.”
That vision extends beyond the classroom. Sankovic is committed to giving students opportunities that mirror the global and interdisciplinary nature of aeronautics and engineering. He frequently highlights the value of Kent State’s Florence campus and has his sights set on integrating international study into engineering programs.
“Aviation and space are global fields,” he said. “We have a unique opportunity to help our students gain that perspective early.”
This summer, he’ll mentor two aerospace engineering seniors, Mateus Holovaty and Zoe Latta, through Kent State’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), a program that supports undergraduate research and career exploration. It’s just one more way he’s invested in the next generation of innovators.
“Our students are incredible,” Sankovic said. “We’ve got students building supersonic wind tunnels in their garages, leading teams like Design-Build-Fly and building CubeSats as the AstroFlashes. That kind of grassroots innovation is what inspires me. That’s why I’m here.”
And if the universe was leaving hints for Sankovic, maybe it’s doing the same for his students now, pointing them toward a future powered by passion, innovation and the belief that big things often start in unexpected places.