David Allen Cicci

Dr. David Cicci is Professor Emeritus of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University. After graduating from West Virginia in 1973, he began working at McGraw-Edison Co. and simultaneously enrolled as a master’s degree student at Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated in 1976. He then worked at Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Swanson Engineering Analysis Corporation, and Bell Helicopter TEXTRON prior to returning to graduate school at The University of Texas at Austin in 1982, with the intention of pursuing a career in education. During his time as a doctoral student, he taught engineering mechanics at Texas and mathematics at Austin Community College. He earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 1987, specializing in orbital mechanics and estimation theory. After graduation, Dr. Cicci accepted a faculty position in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Auburn University where he taught, performed research, and served as a consultant to industry and government agencies for 31 years. During a sabbatical year in 2009-2010, he was hired as a Resident Expert by the Central Intelligence Agency and worked at CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA, where he continued consulting until 2013. While at Auburn, Dr. Cicci won numerous Outstanding Faculty Member Awards from the Student Chapter of the AIAA. He also served as Chair of the Auburn University Faculty Senate in 2008-2009 and was presented with the Academic Freedom Award in 2010. After retiring from Auburn in 2018, Dr. Cicci published numerous engineering textbooks and short course reference books, with the intention of providing quality technical books and textbooks to engineering students at a low cost. Later, as a lifelong supporter of the arts, he became a background and supporting actor in productions throughout the southeast, and has appeared in 40+ TV shows, movies, and commercials since 2021.