Joseph Rakow Biography and Net Worth

Dr. Rakow advises clients on complex engineering problems from design, manufacturing, and qualification, to field use and field failures, with particular expertise in failure analysis. He leads diverse multi-disciplinary investigations to deliver scientific answers to clients' technical challenges. 

Dr. Rakow has expertise in the areas of mechanical, structural, and aerospace engineering, with extensive experience involving a wide variety of devices and components: gas, steam, and wind turbines; aircraft and spacecraft; industrial machinery; pumps, tanks, and pipelines; cars and trucks; cranes and lifts; consumer products; sporting equipment; and a variety of civil structures. Dr. Rakow employs laboratory experimental methods supplemented with theoretical and numerical analysis to identify and illustrate scientific solutions for clients.

Dr. Rakow has published a number of scientific articles and is frequently invited to present at national and international technical conferences, where he is well known for the failure analysis of composite structures. These include high-performance carbon and glass fiber composites as well as commercial-grade fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) and fiberglass. He is a contributing author to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Manual of Accident and Incident Investigation, having contributed the chapter on composites. He teaches introductory composites courses to the Department of Defense and to professional engineers through the American Society of Materials. He is also a Visiting Lecturer in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at Stanford University.

Dr. Rakow serves as the Director of Exponent's Mechanical Engineering Practice, and he is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Prior to joining Exponent, he held teaching and research positions at the University of Michigan and Sandia National Laboratories. As a volunteer, Dr. Rakow is a Structures Specialist with FEMA Urban Search & Rescue.