Sartor to Lead Research Operations and Strategic Growth

Alabama A&M University's Research, Innovation, Science and Engineering (RISE) Foundation has appointed Dr. Kenneth Sartor as interim director.

Established in 2014, the AAMU-RISE Foundation was created to pursue and execute contractual research and development opportunities in support of Alabama A&M’s land-grant mission. In his new role, Sartor will be responsible for maintaining the continuity of existing government contracts while identifying new research opportunities and strategic partnerships. He will also lead an operational assessment of the Foundation to further enhance its impact and efficiency.

Sartor currently serves as an assistant professor of mathematics in the Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics within the College of Engineering, Technology, and Physical Sciences. Prior to his current appointment, he served as deputy director of the AAMU-RISE Foundation.

Since joining the University 13 years ago, Sartor has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on a range of research grants and contracts totaling nearly $900,000. His collaborators have included the Army Research Office, Sandia National Laboratories, Army Aviation and Missile Command, and Georgia Tech Research Institute. He is recognized for his expertise in applying mathematical methods to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems and has authored multiple scholarly publications and patents in this area. Most recently, he worked alongside a SAR subject matter expert from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency within the Department of Defense HBCU Faculty Fellowship Program during the summer of 2024.

Sartor has more than 25 years of industry experience, having previously served as a software engineer for Harris Corporation and systems engineer for Northrop Grumman Corporation, where he worked on algorithms related to radar and missile defense applications. His earlier career includes work with Southern Company and Eastman Kodak Company.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology.

Residing in the Madison, Alabama, area with his wife of 25 years, Alecia, and their four children, Sartor remains active in his local church and enjoys running and roller skating in his free time.