Academic Status
College of Science and Engineering
In 1982, JM Hacker took up a position as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Flinders.
He built up Australia's National Research Aircraft Facility ARA - Airborne Research Australia, which is Australia's only National Facility engaged in operating aircraft for environmental research. He is ARA's Director/Chief Scientist.
He was instrumental in securing one of the few civilian high altitude research aircraft (the Grob G520T Egrett which can fly research missions to altitudes as high as 15km) for the facility and is flying as mission specialist in this aircraft all over the world
He has more than 6,000 flying hours in a wide range of aircraft, including flying gliders over the Andes up to 12.5km. In the context of his research, he also regularly flies aircraft as low as 10m above the ground.
He has collaborated in visual arts productions of time-lapse cloud images and others with the internationally acclaimed indo-japanese dancer Shakti.
JM Hacker is Director and Chief Scientist of ARA - Airborne Research Australia, Australia's National Research Aircraft Facility.
JM Hacker's research work spans a wide area, with special emphasis on the atmospheric boundary layer and the development of innovative instrumentation and measurement strategies using airborne platforms. He was co-author in more than 50 publications in internationally refereed journals and more than 100 Conference Papers. He pioneered the concept of using cost-efficient small aircraft for atmospheric research.