John Sinko

Biography

Dr. John E. Sinko completed a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics at Furman University in May 2003. Subsequently, he earned a M.S. in Physics in December 2005 and a Ph.D. in Physics in May 2008, both from The University of Alabama in Huntsville in the research area of laser propulsion.  After graduating, he worked as an optical engineer for Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in 2008 to build a laser interferometer leak detector, then in 2009 undertook a year-long postdoc research position in Japan under Dr. Akihiro Sasoh at the Micro-Nano GCOE / Nagoya University in Japan studying area scaling in laser propulsion.  He previously taught physics at The Ohio State University Newark in Newark, Ohio. He now teaches physics, optics, and materials science at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, a regional comprehensive university focused on undergraduate education.  His current research topics are laser propulsion and laser orbital debris removal. He was honored as one of the 2019 Minnesota State Board of Trustees Educators of the Year.