J. Kim Vandiver

Who is J. Kim Vandiver?

J. Kim Vandiver is an American university professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vandiver is the dean of undergraduate research and a professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering. He is one of the foremost authorities on the dynamics of offshore structures and flow-induced vibration and is a member of the faculty of the MIT-WHOI joint program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering.

Vandiver is also founder and director of the Edgerton Center at MIT, named after and honoring Dr. Harold Edgerton, which was started in 1992 to provide resources for students doing hands-on educational projects, including some in developing countries. He is the director of MIT's Office of Experiential Learning.

He is known for some early work he did with Schlieren photography. One of his photos, "Bullet through Flame", is at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas.