SNAME Blog

Dr. Chris McKesson has been a member of SNAME since 1977, when he joined as a student member while studying at the University of Michigan. McKesson recently accepted an invitation to serve as SNAME’s Functional Vice President, Education, a role in which he hopes to act as a bridge between practicing engineers and academic educators. Drawing on experience from both worlds, he looks forward to listening carefully, identifying shared needs, and strengthening the connections that sustain naval architecture as both a discipline and a community. Over his decades-long career, McKesson has followed a deliberately unconventional path – one defined by a persistent curiosity about what “advanced” ship design truly means.
 

He began his professional career with John J. McMullen Associates, Inc. 45 years ago. Early on, he was immersed in the conceptual and preliminary design of an advanced hull form for the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar V corvette program. That early exposure to high-performance naval vessels set the tone for much of his subsequent work. He later joined NAVSEA’s Advanced Vehicles Design Group, where he continued to work at the intersection of theory, experimentation, and operational reality. With the end of the Cold War, McKesson’s interests followed the industry’s shifting priorities. He moved into the fast ferry sector while living and working in the Puget Sound region, contributing to projects that emphasized speed, efficiency, and novel hull forms. During this period, however, the definition of “advanced” began to change. Ship design was no longer focused solely on performance metrics; it increasingly demanded a serious engagement with environmental impact, energy use, and system-level consequences. McKesson led and participated in several projects that explored these emerging concerns well before they became mainstream.
 

Eventually tiring of the traditional 9-to-5 workplace, McKesson entered academia. Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, he pursued a Ph.D. under a deceptively simple charge: How can naval architects become more innovative? That work culminated in his book Innovation in Ship Design, along with a decade of classroom teaching. During this time, McKesson brought to his students not only rigorous analytical tools, but also a practitioner’s sensibility grounded in real ships, real constraints, and real consequences. It was during this period that he was recognized by his peers and elevated to SNAME Fellow. In 2018, McKesson left academia to go sailing. He and his wife of 48 years now cruise the Pacific coast of Mexico aboard their Cheoy Lee Offshore 40 Pegasus. Even while living at anchor, McKesson has not stepped away from the profession that has shaped his life, and his new role as FVP, Education, is among his continued pursuits. SNAME is fortunate to have his expertise and perspective in this important role.