About

George Ligler is a Professor in the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering at Texas A&M University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and holds the J.L. “Corky” Frank/Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC Chair. His educational background includes a D. Phil and an M.Sc. in Mathematics and Computation from Oxford University, obtained in 1975 and 1973 respectively, and a B.S. in Mathematics from Furman University earned in 1971. His research focuses on multidisciplinary engineering, and he is affiliated with the Biomedical Engineering program. He is involved in academic leadership and contributes to the advancement of engineering education and research at Texas A&M University.

Research topics

• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Chemistry
• Systems engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science

Selected publications

• Smart Catheters for Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Therapy (Adv. Healthcare Mater. 13/2026)

  Advanced Healthcare Materials · 2026-04-01 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Assessing tool parameters that influence veterinarians’ postural risk during an equine odontoplasty

  Results in Engineering · 2026-01-15

  articleOpen access

  • Link between tool design and ergonomic risk • Ergonomic risk during a simulated equine odontoplasty • Design requirements for new equine odonotplasty tool • Assessing ergonomic risk of power and manual tool during veterinary procedure Since the domestication of horses, humans have found new ways to nourish and care for them. One such way is the introduction of grains and refined feed into their diets, however this deviation from their natural diet has introduced uneven wear and tear on horses’ teeth. This uneven wear can cause lacerations of soft tissue and now requires the intervention of trained veterinarians to remedy. Unfortunately, the care of animals puts a toll on veterinarians’ bodies due to the variation in their patients and gap in engineered tools. The objective of this study was to assess tool parameters that put veterinarians at risk for MSD development during an equine odontoplasty. A simulated equine odontoplasty was conducted on 20 subjects with previous experience performing odontoplasty procedures on live patients. Subjects used a Power Float and hand float to perform the odotontoplasty, and postural, ergonomic risk, and subjective comfort levels were assessed. Findings showed that while the Power Float was rated more favorably by participants in comfort ratings both tools showed significant ergonomic risks, this supports the link between tool parameters and risk of MSD development. This research helps inform tool design to protect veterinarians from ergonomic hazards during an equine odontoplasty.

  PublisherDOI

• Engineering the Unexpected: Faculty Strategies for Navigating Academic Disruptions

  2025-11-02

  article

  This research full paper explores how engineering faculty navigate disruptions in academia, focusing on challenges posed by global events, technological shifts, and institutional changes. Using a qualitative design, focus groups were conducted with faculty at a southwestern U.S. R1 university, revealing key themes around resilience, adaptability, and communication. Faculty identified major disruptions such as the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$9 / 11$</tex> terrorist attacks, COVID-19, and technological advances like ChatGPT as pivotal in reshaping student attitudes, instructional practices, and institutional structures. They also cited student-level challenges including mental health and visa issues, as direct reflections of broader societal upheavals. Strategies to address disruptions included fostering open communication, building trust, using technology responsibly, and incorporating leadership training. The study emphasizes embedding these practices into routine operations to create a more agile and future-proof academic environment. Findings offer insights for faculty development and institutional policy making, with future research aimed at broader disciplinary and institutional contexts.

  PublisherDOI

• Smart Catheters for Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Therapy

  Advanced Healthcare Materials · 2025-11-17

  articleOpen access

  This review explores smart catheters as an emerging class of medical devices that combine embedded sensors, robotics, and communication systems with increasing functionality and complexity to enable real-time health monitoring, diagnostics, and treatment. Evolving from traditional catheters used as drains or entry ports, smart systems are now able to track blood pressure, temperature, biochemical signals, and mechanical forces within the body with a high degree of accuracy. Advances in materials, wireless communication, and robotic navigation have helped reduce common risks like infection and catheter blockage while also improving precision catheter placement for minimally invasive procedures. This review highlights recent developments across a variety of different types of smart catheters, ranging from sensing and imaging tools to therapeutic and multimodal systems. Additionally, it discusses the challenges that remain, including biocompatibility, long-term performance, and clinical translation. The incorporation of new capabilities is changing how catheters are used, and these new uses promise to enable more personalized and responsive healthcare.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Forty years of advances in optical biosensors—are “autonomous” biosensors in our future?

  Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry · 2024 · 3 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science

  Optical biosensors have employed at least three distinct system architectures over the last 40 years, moving from "sample in-answer out" systems to completely embedding the optical biosensor into the sample to embedding the recognition module in the sample and optically interrogating the recognition module from outside of the sample. This trends article provides an overview of the evolution of these three system architectures and discusses how each architecture has been applied to solve the measurement challenges of a wide variety of applications. A fourth biosensor system architecture, that of an "autonomous" biosensor which "takes the user out of the loop" while both detecting target analytes and responding to that measurement, is currently under development for applications initially including environmental cleanup and "smart therapeutics." As is the case in many other areas of technology, it will be profoundly interesting to observe the further development and application of elegant, simpler (optical) biosensor systems to address tomorrow's measurement needs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• RTCA SC-159: 30 Years of Aviation GPS Standards

  Proceedings of the 28th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2015) · 2015-09-18 · 2 citations

  article

  This paper summarizes the accomplishments of RTCA, Inc.’s Special Committee 159 (SC-159) over the past 30 years including the many documents that SC-159 has produced. The paper emphasizes the importance of these documents towards the adoption of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for civil aviation applications through their widespread use by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), other civil aviation authorities, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and other organizations. Lastly, the paper describes a recently approved update to SC-159’s Terms of Reference for new products to be developed from the present time through 2023.

  Publisher

• Development of Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards for DGNSS Instrument Approach Systems (DIAS)

  1993-06-23 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

• The RTCA Special Category 1 Differential GPS Instrument Approach System Standards and Future Development of DGNSS-Aided Cat. 2&3 Precision Approach Standards

  Proceedings of the 6th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1993) · 1993-09-24

  articleSenior author

  In response to a request by the FAA, a SCAT-I MASPS Development Team was formed in September 1992 under the auspices of R’ICA Special Committee 159 to acceler- ate development of initial standards for GNSS-based precision approach systems to be used within the National Airspace System as early as late 1993 or 1994. A GNSS- based Special Category-I precision approach is a specially authorized approach made to MIS/U Category I minima with differential GNSS used as the primary navigation input. SCAT-I approaches will be authorized by the FAA based upon an aircraft operator’s demonstrated capability. Such authorizations are likely to be for specific aircraft approaching specific airports. This presentation over- views MASPS Team activities, highlight discussions, and addresses Team participation and accomplishments, An initial draft MASPS was issued in early January, 1993 and the Final Draft of the MASPS was completed and circu- lated in late June, 1993. This document is expected to have a significant impact on the introduction and use of DGPS- aided precision approach systems in aviation. the MASPS is under careful review by the aviation community, which leads to its fmal review by the RTCA and its planned transmittal to the FAA for their action in mid-August. With implementation, operational Category 1 precision approach operations using DGPS are anticipated at many non-public airports on a regular basis. In addition to providing needed services, this will provide operational data on DGPS-aided approaches relative to alternative techniques. This paper also addresses the planned RTCA follow-on activities and schedule for the development of MASPS for DGNSS-aided Category II and III approach operations.

  Publisher

• SIGACT (Paper Session)

  1976-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  These papers indicate the diversity of the theoretical area of computer science. The first explores programming language concepts in terms of Hoare's formal assignment axiom. The second is well described by its title. The third is a contribution to formal language theory, and the last paper adapts a “divide and conquer” technique to a paging environment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The assignment axiom and programming language design

  1976-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  One way to approach software reliability is to design programming languages that satisfy criteria which ensure that undesirable semantic effects cannot occur. The effect of using the assignment rule of Hoare as such a criterion on the design of procedure-oriented, block-structured programming languages is investigated; after details of the Hoare formalism are discussed, language design guidelines derived from formal studies are informally presented and justified.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Keith D. McDonald

  2 shared

• Steve Heppe

  1 shared

• Kyle Wesson

  1 shared

• Patrick C. Fischer

  1 shared

• Per Enge

  1 shared

• Larry Chesto

  1 shared

• William C. Nylin

  Lamar University

  1 shared

• Bob Erlandson

  1 shared

Awards & honors

• Member, National Academy of Engineering