July 20, 2026
By Tracie Troha

Richard Simmons, principal research engineer in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, has been named interim director of the Student Competition Center (SCC), where he will lead efforts to strengthen experiential learning and support the Institute’s student competition teams.

The SCC is home to seven student engineering competition teams and provides workspace, tools, and resources to help students apply classroom learning to real-world engineering challenges.

In his new role, Simmons will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for student competition teams, facilities, staff, budgets, sponsorships, and safety programs. He also will teach and mentor students through engineering design and experiential learning courses, helping connect classroom instruction with project-based experiences.

“Richard brings a unique combination of industry experience, research leadership, and deep commitment to student success,” said Carolyn Seepersad, Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. School Chair. “As an accomplished engineer and a Georgia Tech alumnus, he understands the value of experiential learning and is well-positioned to lead the Student Competition Center.”

Simmons, ME 1993, joined Georgia Tech in 2016 after spending the first 20 years of his career leading research, technology, and business development initiatives in the automotive industry, energy sector, and federal government. After graduating from Tech, he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Purdue University and later became a licensed professional engineer.

Over the past decade, Simmons has held several leadership and research positions within Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute, including founding director of the Energy Policy and Innovation Center and, most recently, director of Research and Studies. He has also taught a variety of courses at the Woodruff School, including ME 2110, Capstone Design, Energy Systems, and Renewable Energy.

As interim director, Simmons said his priority is to build on the SCC’s strong foundation while positioning it for even greater impact.

“I intend to amplify the SCC as a platform for experiential learning and collaboration across disciplines,” he said. “The SCC offers daily opportunities to conceive, design, build, test, analyze, learn from failure at times, and iterate — in other words, the essence of pragmatic engineering.”

He also hopes to strengthen partnerships among students, faculty, alumni, and industry while exploring new opportunities across areas such as energy systems, robotics, advanced manufacturing, materials science, optimization, and artificial intelligence.

A former member of GT Motorsports as a student, Simmons said he is especially excited to work closely with Georgia Tech’s student competition teams.

“As interim director of the SCC, I will have the privilege to advise and mentor some of the brightest and most amazing students in the country, and to work alongside world-renowned faculty in supporting them,” he said. “I am proud of the way the student teams represent our Institute: humble, inquisitive, collaborative, hard-working, respectful of one another, the sport, and other competitors.”