Dignitaries from Pratt & Whitney and Purdue University join together at Zucrow Labs to celebrate the establishment of the Turbomachinery Aeromechanics Center of Excellence. (Purdue University photo/Jared Pike)

Pratt & Whitney is part of the aerospace conglomerate RTX, which also includes Collins Aerospace and Raytheon. The partnership with Purdue was announced in May 2025 at a ceremony at Purdue’s Zucrow Labs, the largest academic propulsion lab in the world.

“We are thrilled to have Pratt & Whitney as an official partner,” said Dan DeLaurentis, Purdue University’s executive vice president for research.  “Purdue has such a strong history with propulsion research, and this collaboration Pratt & Whitney shows how much we have to offer each other.”

“Pratt & Whitney have been building aircraft engines for 100 years,” said Michael Thacker, Pratt & Whitney’s senior vice president for engineering and technology. “We employ 45,000 people in more than 40 countries, and have more than 90,000 engines currently in service. A Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft takes off or lands, somewhere in the world, every second of every day. The more efficient, powerful, and reliable we can make those engines, the better it is for the economy, society, and the environment.”

Nicole Key, professor of mechanical engineering, demonstrates the capabilities of her lab for testing compressors and other jet engine components. (Purdue University photo/Jared Pike)

The ceremony took place in a test cell of Zucrow’s recently-opened High Speed Propulsion Lab (ZL9). This $73 million facility features a new, high-pressure air plant that represents an order-of-magnitude increase in capabilities for innovative research in rocket combustion and gas turbine engines.

Pratt & Whitney have identified four key Purdue collaborators conducting propulsion-related research:

• Nicole Key, professor of mechanical engineering, whose research is focused on high-speed compressors;
• Guillermo Paniagua, professor of mechanical engineering, who studies turbines;
• Carson Slabaugh, Paula Feuer Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who develops combustors and rotating detonation engines;
• and Dianyun Zhang, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics, who focuses on materials like organic matrix composites.

Beyond research collaborations, the partnership also provides a stable, long-term relationship between academia and industry; a reliable funding platform; and an enhanced network of recruiting opportunities for Purdue students.

“RTX has hired more than 300 Boilermakers in the past ten years,” said DeLaurentis, “not only from the College of Engineering but also from Polytechnic, Science, and Business. Purdue faculty have conducted more than $9.5 million of research projects from RTX over the last 10 years. We clearly work well together, and having this Center of Excellence just cements a wonderful partnership.”

Guillermo Paniagua, professor of mechanical engineering, showcases Zucrow Labs' high-pressure air storage facility to visitors from Pratt & Whitney. (Purdue University photo/Jared Pike)

Writer: Jared Pike, jaredpike@purdue.edu, 765-496-0374