John D. Anderson Jr. (born October 1, 1937) is the Curator of Aerodynamics at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Professor Emeritus in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

He stayed in that position until 1962, when he enrolled at Ohio State University in Columbus under fellowships from the National Science Foundation and NASA.

That same year, he joined the United States Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, Maryland, becoming the Chief of the Hypersonic Group.

[2] In 1973, Anderson joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, becoming Chairman of the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

He is currently the Curator of Aerodynamics at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.