After receiving his Ph.D. degree from MIT in 1961 (Major: Aeronautics and Astronautics; Minor: Physics), Dr. Culick came to Caltech as a Research Fellow. He is the Richard L. and Dorothy M. Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Jet Propulsion (Emeritus). He has taught courses in both physics and engineering, mainly dealing with fluid mechanics, applied aerodynamcis and stability and control of aircraft; propulsion; combustion; classical mechanics; quantum mechanics; electromagnetic theory; lasers; control of mechanical systems; and dynamics.

For five years beginning in 1981, Professor Culick taught a course devoted to atmospheric flight, emphasizing the performance, stability, and control of aircraft, which he has since taught occasionally. From 1986-1989, Dr. Culick taught an introductory course in robotics. In 2001-2002 he taught the course AM35, Statics and Dynamics. Dr. Culick also participated for many years in the course Spacecraft Systems and Design: Design, Construction, and Flight of Small Spacecraft in collaboration with personnel at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Dr. Culick's thesis work was concerned with an analysis of combustion instabilities in liquid propellant rocket motors. Since 1964 he has been actively involved in both analytical and experimental work on combustion instability in rocket motors, ramjets, and gas turbines.

Currently, Dr. Culick is a member of the Technical Advisory Council (TAC) for Pratt and Whitney Corporation. His activities are concerned mainly with gas turbines and thrust augmentors. In addition to participating in various activities of JANNAF and AIAA, he was for twelve years a member of the U.S. delegation to the AGARD Propulsion and Energetics Panel. He is an active member of the International Academy of Astronautics and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Recently, in collaboration with Spencer Dunmore, Culick published On Great White Wings: The Wright Brothers and the Race for Flight.