He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame in 1991. Post-doctoral work was performed under the auspices of the National Research Council at the NASA Langley Basic Aerodynamic Research Tunnel (BART). Ken was subsequently employed by the Boeing Aircraft Company for five years and was involved in development and design aspects of two aircrafts: the High Speed Civil Transport and the 767-400ER, the latter resulting in a patent of a novel raked aerodynamic wingtip currently flown on the Boeing 767-400ER. Other activities include assisting in the design of the keel fin and appendages for the America's Cup Team 2000, AmericaOne, and working with Fairchild Dornier Aircraft in Germany. In 2006, Ken had the opportunity to spend a year at the DLR in Braunschweig, Germany.