Gary Vliet

Austin | Mechanical Engineer

Dr. Vliet received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and after conducting research on thermal transfer, insulation and storage at Lockheed Research Laboratories, came to the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1971 to 2005. During his career, he taught courses in photovoltaic and thermal solar energy for over 30 years, wrote the widely-used textbook, “Solar Energy Systems – Design and Analysis”, conducted a state inventory of solar radiation, co-founded and chaired the Texas Solar Energy Society, and led University students in designing and building vehicles for three solar electric car races.