Dr. Leylegian began his career in academia with Manhattan College in January 2008 as an adjunct assistant professor. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and he has also held the title of visiting assistant professor (2008-2009) and assistant professor (2009-2015). His teaching responsibilities have included classes primarily focused on the thermal-fluid sciences, computer programming, and communication. He is the main editor of the Department's "A Guide to Technical Communication."
Prior to coming to Manhattan College, Dr. Leylegian was employed at Orbital ATK Tactical Propulsion and Controls New York Operations (Formerly ATK GASL, Allied Aerospace GASL Division and GASL, Inc.) from April 2000 to September 2008, and held the title of senior scientist in the Aerodynamics and Propulsion Analysis Department. He served as technical lead for programs involving the use of kerosene-based fuels for hypersonic cooling applications and fuel cell-based power generation. In addition, Dr. Leylegian participated in a NASA-funded research project using low-temperature plasmas to reduce NOx emissions from jet engines.
He was involved in the coordination of fuels and energy-related projects at ATK TP&C, and was routinely consulted by the technical staff of ATK TP&C and other ATK companies on the design, testing, and analysis of chemically reacting systems. While at ATK, Dr. Leylegian served as technical lead for two programs involving the development of turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine technology. Other efforts consisted of: the development of supersonic and hypersonic propulsion systems for vehicles in support of projects funded by NASA, DARPA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army.
He has also worked on various trade studies, on projects including liquid fuel heating and delivery systems for various NASA test facilities and fuel selection for next-generation air-breathing munitions design. Other projects in which he participated include the development and upgrade of various analysis tools used at ATK GASL and safety reviews of GASL wind tunnel facility systems, including hydrogen, silane, and liquid jet fuel delivery systems.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Leylegian serves as a consultant to Innoveering LLC on scramjet engine design and analysis.