COL James Bluman, Ph.D.

Colonel James E. Bluman, PhD, PE, serves as the Research Program Director for the Department of Mathematical Sciences at West Point. Colonel Bluman’s previous assignments and positions include serving as the Director for the Center for Innovation and Engineering and an associate professor in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining the USMA faculty, Colonel Bluman served in the operational Army as an Aviation Officer and as an Acquisition Corps officer, with a Level III DAWIA certification in Program Management. He served an Assistant Product Manager for the Armed Scout Helicopter Project Office, and various command, staff, and platoon leader positions as an Army Aviator. Colonel Bluman is a Senior Army Aviator and holds ratings in the OH-58D helicopter and the C-12 fixed wing aircraft as well as FAA commercial, instrument, and rotorcraft ratings. He earned a Professional Engineer license from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and he is a recipient of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering’s Donald N. Zwiep Award for Innovation in Education as well as USMA’s 2024 Dean’s Mid-Career Award for Scholarship Excellence.