Professor Adamson joined the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in 1954, received a Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award in 1980, and served as Department Chair, 1983 to his retirement in 1992. He taught and published research in combustion, propulsion, and fluid mechanics.

His consulting included analyses for experiments done on the moon. He lectured internationally, including a tour for AGARD, (NATO), and served on national advisory committees. He was founding member of the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Prize Board which he chaired, 1992-2000. He is a Fellow of the AIAA, and serves on the Boards of the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame and the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Foundation USA.