John Evans

He was born in Fosston, MN to Winton and Jean Evans on June 8, 1957, and married to his wife Jillian Youngeun Evans until his death, for 47 and 1/2 years.

A graduate of the University of Nebraska's class of 1983 in mechanical engineering, Dr. Evans earned a master’s degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Evans enjoyed his work throughout his professional career of 41 years and earned many awards and medals. He dedicated over two and a half decades to NASA, contributing significantly to space exploration and aerospace engineering. He was a two-time recipient of NASA's Silver Achievement Medal and played a pivotal role in projects like the Cosmic Background Explorer (CoBE), which led project leader's Nobel Prize, and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). He was the creator of NASA’s Model-Based Mission Assurance (MBMA) Program, integrating it with Model-Based Systems Engineering to enhance reliability and safety in space missions in an groundbreaking and innovative approach.

Dr. Evans was instrumental in advancing failure analysis and reliability engineering, serving as Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer for NASA’s Exploration & Space Communications Projects Division. His innovations, including applying Bayesian methodologies to reliability assessments, contributed to the success of critical systems like the JWST’s Sunshield Deployment Subsystem.

He was also extensively involved with the Trilateral Safety and Mission Assurance Conference (TRISMAC), representing NASA as the technical chair, working with international agencies including the ESA and JAXA to ensure coordinated Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) efforts.

Beyond NASA, Dr. Evans’ influence extended globally as an international consultant, helping companies reduce warranty costs, and as a professor teaching engineering disciplines in Korea and the United States. He served on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) editorial board as well as authored over 80 technical publications and three books, leaving a lasting impact on the academic and technical communities.

In addition to his academic and professional achievements, Dr. Evans was a loving husband and father, known for his unwavering kindness and love. He shared his passion for reading with his children, bonding over Lord of the Rings. An avid traveler, he cherished exploring the world with his loved ones, creating memories in many countries. His kindness, warmth, resilience, and love will be deeply missed.

He is preceded by his daughter Raina, who he is now with, and survived by his wife, Jillian and son Christopher.