Shan-fu Shen
Chinese-American aerospace engineer
About Shan-fu Shen
Lived 1921 – 2006 (aged 85). Shan-fu Shen was a Chinese and American military flight engineer and university teacher.
Shan-Fu Shen (; 31 August 1921 – 22 December 2006) was a Chinese-American aerospace engineer.
A native of Shanghai, Shen graduated from National Central University (later Southeast University, then Nanjing University) in 1941. He won governmental scholarships for graduate level study, and completed his Doctor of Science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949, advised by Chia-Chiao Lin and Qian Xuesen. Shen remained at MIT for the next two years as a research associate, before joining the Aeronautical Engineering Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. At the suggestion of William R. Sears, Shen moved to Cornell University in 1961. Shen was later appointed to the John Edison Sweet Professorship, and gained emeritus status upon retirement in 1991.
Over the course of his career, Shen was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1957, and elected to a member of the Academia Sinica and the United States National Academy of Engineering in 1972 and 1985, respectively.
Shen died on 22 December 2006 in Ithaca, New York, aged 85.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Shan-fu Shen's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Shan-fu Shen's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Shan-fu Shen?
Chinese-American aerospace engineer
When was Shan-fu Shen born?
Shan-fu Shen was born on 31 August 1921 in Shanghai.
When did Shan-fu Shen die?
Shan-fu Shen died on 22 December 2006 in Ithaca.
What was Shan-fu Shen's occupation?
Shan-fu Shen was a military flight engineer and university teacher.
What nationality was Shan-fu Shen?
Shan-fu Shen was Chinese and American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Shan-fu Shen. https://biography.guide/shan-fu-shen/
MLA: "Shan-fu Shen." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/shan-fu-shen/.
Chicago: "Shan-fu Shen." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/shan-fu-shen/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:20 UTC