AIAA Awards and Lectures
AIAA Awards Recognition Ceremony
Please join us to celebrate all the awards and best papers on Monday, 12 January 2026, 5:30–7 p.m. in the Windermere Ballroom.
This event is free and open to the public.
Premier Lectures
Admission to these lectures does not require AIAA SciTech Forum registration.
2026 AIAA Durand Lecture for Public Service
Brian M. Argrow
Glenn L. Murphy Distinguished Professor Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences Director, Integrated Remote & In Situ Sensing Program (IRISS)
This premier lecture recognizes a prominent industry leader or senior management team who has created or grown a space-related business and generated substantial economic benefits and market value.
Lecture: “Aerospace Engineering for Science and Public Safety: Aerial Robots to Explore Tornadogenesis”
Lecture Date and Location: Monday, 12 January 2026, 3:30–4:30 p.m., Windermere Ballroom
2026 AIAA Dryden Lecture in Research
Thomas C. Corke
Clark Chair Professor of Engineering University of Notre Dame
The AIAA Dryden Lectureship in Research, named in honor of Dr. Hugh L. Dryden in 1967, emphasizes the great importance of basic and applied research to the advancement in aeronautics and astronautics and is a salute to research scientists and engineers. The lecture succeeded the Research Award established in 1960.
Lecture: “Active Drag Reduction with Net Power Savings in Turbulent Boundary Layers – Physics and Scaling”
Lecture Date and Location: Tuesday, 13 January 2026, 3:30–4:30 p.m., Windermere Ballroom
Education Awards
2025 Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement in Aeronautics
Luke Busse, University of Cincinnati
Paper: Multi-Sensor Based Adaptive Fusion Scheme for Position Estimation of Multirotor UAV Systems in GPS-Denied Environments”
Faculty Advisor
Manish Kumar, University of Cincinnati
2025 Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement in Astronautics
Patrick Eid, Auburn University
Paper: Evolution of the Bidirectional Vortex in a Capped Ellipsoidal Cyclonic Rocket Engine”
Faculty Advisor
Joseph Majdalani, Auburn University
Literary Awards
2026 AIAA Elementary Children’s Literature Award
Lauren Sánchez Bezos
This award is presented for an outstanding, significant, and original contribution in aeronautics and astronautics literature for youth.
Book: “The Fly Who Flew to Space”
2026 AIAA Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award
Sean Seyer
University of Kansas
This award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical nonfiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.
Book: “Sovereign Skies: The Origins of American Civil Aviation Policy”
Service Awards
2025 AIAA Faculty Advisors Award
Mohammad Ayoubi
Santa Clara University
This award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical nonfiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.
2025 AIAA Faculty Advisors Award
Wout De Backer
University of South Carolina
This award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical nonfiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.
2025 AIAA Faculty Advisors Award
Danilo de Camargo Branco
Florida Institute of Technology
This award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical nonfiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.
2025 AIAA Faculty Advisors Award
Michael Denn
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
This award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical nonfiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.
2025 AIAA Faculty Advisors Award
Mostafa Hassanalian
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
This award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical nonfiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.
2025 AIAA Outstanding Section Award - Very Small Size Category
Delaware Section
2025 AIAA Outstanding Section Award - Small Size Category
Illinois Section
2025 AIAA Outstanding Section Award - Medium Size Category
San Diego Section
2025 AIAA Outstanding Section Award - Large Size Category
Saint Louis Section
2025 AIAA Outstanding Section Award - Very Large Size Category
Los Angeles Section
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
Melissa Carter
NASA Langley Research Center
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For sustained leadership, service, and contributions to the Hampton Roads Section, Region I, and AIAA national as HRS officer, technical committee member, conference organizer, and conference session chair.
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
David Casbeer
Air Force Research Laboratory
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For leadership advancing AIAA’s focus on autonomy and intelligent systems in aerospace.
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
Wayne Hurwitz
Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For sustained leadership and dedicated service to AIAA at the national level through significant contributions to Corporate Membership advocacy, the Air Breathing Propulsion TC, Propulsion & Energy Group, TAD leadership, and the Ethics Committee.
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
Elizabeth Lee-Rausch
NASA Langley Research Center
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For sustained leadership, service, and contributions at the section and national levels as a Hampton Roads Section officer, Integration subcommittee leader, and journal associate editor.
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
Michael Oppenheimer
Air Force Research Laboratory
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For sustained leadership, service, and contributions to the Dayton/Cincinnati Section, Region III, and AIAA national.
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
Kerri Phillips
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For sustained leadership and service through Technical, Ethics, and Public Policy Committees; the AIAA DEFENSE Forum Executive Steering Committee; and outreach at the section, regional, and national levels of AIAA.
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
Joshua Rovey
University of Illinois
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For sustained leadership, service, and contributions to the Illinois Section, Region III, and AIAA national.
2026 AIAA Sustained Service Award
Todd Treichel
Sierra Space
This award is presented to recognize sustained and significant service to AIAA and who has shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions.
For exemplary leadership, dedicated service, and significant contributions to the Wisconsin Section, Region III, and the AIAA national organization.
Technical Excellence Awards
2026 AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Award
Mark P. Wernet
NASA Glenn Research Center
This award is presented for continued contributions and achievements toward the advancement of advanced aerodynamics flowfield and surface measurement techniques for research in flight and ground test applications.
For the continued advancement of LDV, PIV, Raman thermometry, and real-time BOS technology into facility-hardened techniques that provide validation data for CFD assessment.
2026 AIAA Aerospace Guidance, Navigation and Control Award
Kathleen Howell
Purdue University
This award is presented to recognize individuals that have made important and substantial contributions in the field of guidance, navigation and control.
For seminal contributions to the theory and practice of the trajectory design and operation of spacecraft in the Earth-moon system.
2026 AIAA Aerospace Power Systems Award
Jeffrey Hojnicki
NASA Glenn Research Center (retired)
This award, established in 1981, is presented for a significant contribution in the broad field of aerospace power systems, specifically as related to the application of engineering sciences and systems engineering to the generation, storage, management, and distribution of electrical energy to aerospace power systems.
For exceptional technical contributions in spacecraft power systems analysis and for outstanding leadership in the design of photovoltaic power systems for multiple human spaceflight programs.
2026 AIAA Air Breathing Propulsion Award
Eric J. Ruggiero
GE Aerospace
This award is presented to an individual for sustained, meritorious accomplishment in the arts, sciences, and technology of air breathing propulsion systems.
For shaping propulsion technology starting with fundamental research in cooling features of gas turbines leading to product development of propulsion systems for advanced military platforms.
2026 AIAA Atkinson-Ball Survivability Award
Timothy L. Williams
Boeing Defense, Space, and Security
This award is presented to an individual to recognize outstanding achievement or contribution in design, analysis, implementation, and/or education of survivability in an aerospace system.
For visionary leadership advancing multi-domain platform survivability, integrating resilient technologies across global defense systems, and shaping the next generation of aerospace engineers through mentorship & innovation.
2026 AIAA de Florez Award for Flight Simulation
E. Bruce Jackson
Adaptive Aerospace Group, Inc.
This award is presented for an outstanding individual achievement in the application of flight simulation to aerospace training, research, and development.
For leading standards for check-cases and model exchange of six-degree-of-freedom simulations, and for developing software frameworks for crew training, handling qualities, and vehicle subsystems development.
2026 AIAA Energy Systems Award
Kemal Hanjalić
Delft University of Technology, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
This award is presented for a significant contribution in the broad field of energy systems, specifically as related to the application of engineering sciences and systems engineering to the production, storage, distribution, and conservation of energy.
For pioneering and outstanding contribution to the modelling of turbulent flows, heat, mass transfer, and its application for the advancement of energy and process technologies.
2026 AIAA Energy Systems Award
Mary “Missy” Louise Cummings
George Mason University
This award is presented to recognize important fundamental contributions to intelligent systems technologies and applications that advance the capabilities of aerospace systems.
For outstanding and sustained contributions to human supervision and control of intelligent autonomous aerospace vehicles.
2026 AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award
Michael Bolender
Air Force Research Laboratory, AFRL/RQQA
This award is presented for an outstanding recent technical or scientific contribution by an individual in the mechanics, guidance, or control of flight in space or the atmosphere.
For outstanding contributions to the development of control-oriented models and flight control methods for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles, which serve as the foundation of many computational models used in research and industry.
2026 AIAA Microgravity and Space Processes Award
Steven Collicott
Purdue University
This award is presented for significant contributions in microgravity science, space processing, or in furthering the use of microgravity for space processing.
For unique leadership in research, advocacy, and education supporting spaceflight activities in ISS, commercial sub-orbital rockets, parabolic flights, drop-towers, and commercial satellites.
2026 AIAA Propellants and Combustion Award
Fokion Egolfopoulos
University of Southern California
This award is presented for outstanding technical contributions to aeronautical or astronautical combustion engineering.
For outstanding contributions in studies of flames, including flame theory and fundamental flame property measurements and simulations especially at engine-relevant conditions.
2026 AIAA Wyld Propulsion Award
Vladimir J. Hruby
Busek Co. Inc.
This award is presented for outstanding achievement in the development or application of rocket propulsion systems.
In recognition of outstanding technical contributions in the field of spacecraft electric propulsion, and foundational influence on the industry.
Student Paper Competitions
Winners will be announced on Friday, 16 January 2026, plenary session.
Location: Windermere Ballroom
- Aerospace Design and Structures Group
- American Society for Composites Student Paper Award
- Jefferson Goblet Student Paper Award
- Lockheed Martin Student Paper Award in Structures
- Non-Deterministic Approaches
- Harry H. and Lois G. Hilton Student Paper Award in Structures
- SwRI Student Paper Award in Non-Deterministic Approaches
- Walter R. Lempert Student Paper Award in Diagnostics for Fluid Mechanics, Plasma Physics, and Energy Transfer
- Atmospheric Flight Mechanics
- Cybersecurity
- Kirti “Karman” Ghia Memorial Award, Fluid Dynamics
- Gravity Dependent Science and Technology
- Guidance, Navigation, and Control
- Intelligent Systems
- Meshing, Visualization, and Computational Environments
- Modeling and Simulation Technologies
- Non-Deterministic Approaches
- Plasmadynamics and Lasers
- Sensor Systems and Information Fusion
- Small Satellites
- Terrestrial Energy Systems
- Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems
- Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) Aircraft Systems
Best Professional Papers
2025 AIAA Gas Turbine Engines Best Paper
“An Analysis of Stall Characteristics in a Transonic Axial Compressor” (AIAA 2025-2621)
Authors: Darius V. Ahmadi, Walter C. Smith, Anthony J. Gannnon, Garth V. Hobson, Naval Postgraduate School [Professional]
2025 AIAA Liquid Propulsion Best Paper
“Development of Laser Powder Bed Fusion NASA HR-2 for Hydrogen Sensitive Liquid Rocket Engine Applications” (AIAA 2025-2639)
Authors: Po S. Chen, Benjamin L. Rupp, Colton C. Katsarelis, Ching H. Su, Diana. Y. Andreev, and Abram G. Culver, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center [Professional]
2025 Collier Aerospace HyperX/AIAA Structures Best Paper
“Digital Twins of Additive Manufacturing Parts for Fatigue Life Prediction” (AIAA-2025-0195)
Authors: Xueyong Qu, Leland Shimizu, Jacob Rome, Vinay Goyal, The Aerospace Corporation [Professional]
2025 Aerospace Power Systems Best Paper
“A Non-Nuclear, Solar Powered Mission to Uranus Utilizing the PowerSail – a Large Solar Sail with embedded Solar Cells” (AIAA 6.2025-2544)
Authors: John A. Carr, Herbert Thomas, Mike Baysinger, Thomas Brooks, Leo Fabisinski, Benjamin Diedrich, Jay Garcia, Michael Benfield, Les Johnson, Peter Capizzo, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center [Professional]
2025 Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Best Paper Award
“Auto-Tuned Primal-Dual Successive Convexification for Hypersonic Reentry Guidance” (AIAA-2025-1317)
Authors: Skye Mceowen, Daniel J. Calderone, Arman Tiwari, Jason S. Zhou, Taewan Kim, Purnanand Elango, Behcet Acikmese, University of Washington [Professional]
2025 AIAA Spacecraft Structures Best Paper
“Curved-Crease Origami Wrapping of Doubly Curved Shells Using Coupled Dynamic Relaxation” (AIAA-2025-0618)
Authors: Alexandra Haraszti, Manan Arya, Stanford University [Professional]
2025 Best Electric Propulsion Paper
“Swirl Torque Projections for the 12 kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) Hall Thruster” (AIAA-2025-0066)
Authors: Vernon H. Chaplin, Alejandro Lopez Ortega, Matthew P. Byrne, Ioannis G. Mikellides, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology [Professional]
2025 Best Paper in Aerodynamic Measurement Technology
“Modification of Mach 6 Freestream Flow by Pitot Probe Bow Shock as Measured by Line FLDI and SAFS” (AIAA-2025-2179)
Authors: Joshua M. Weisberger, Gregory C. Herring, Wayne E. Page Jr., Brett F. Bathel, NASA Langley Research Center [Professional]
2025 GNC Technical Committee Best Paper Award
“Model Predictive Tracking Guidance Applied to Planetary Entry and Powered Descent” (AIAA-2025-2599)
Authors: Christopher Davami, Ping Lu and Aaron J. Rosengren (University of California San Diego), San Diego State University [Professional]
2025 HSABP Best Paper
“Computational Investigation of Unsteady Shock Motion in an Isolator-Diffuser Flow Path” (AIAA 2025-0093)
Authors: Spencer L. Stahl, Stuart Benton, Aerospace System Directorate of AFRL [Professional]
2025 INPSI Best Paper
“Use of Non-intrusive Flow Diagnostics for Aero-Engine Inlet Flow Distortion Measurements in an Industrial Wind-tunnel” (AIAA 2025-2111)
Authors: Tommaso Piovesan, Pavlos K. Zachos, David MacManus, Dirk Michaelis, Bart van Rooijen, Christopher Sheaf and Dimitris Arzoglou, Cranfield University [Professional]
2025 Intelligent Systems Award
“Reinforcement-Learning-Based Cooperative Dynamic Weapon-Target Assignment in a Multiagent Engagement” (AIAA 2025-1546)
Authors: Gleb Merkulov, Eran Iceland, Shay Michaeli, Oren Gal, Ariel Barel, Tal Shima, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology [Professional]
2025 Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Technical Committee Best Paper
“Design of Electric Aircraft Battery Packs Embedded with Phase-Change Material via Level Set Topology Optimization” (AIAA 2025-0969)
Authors: Alexandre Guibert, Murtaza Bookwala, H. Alicia Kim, University of California San Diego [Professional]
2025 Modeling and Simulation Technologies Best Paper Award
“Effects of Turbulence Intensity and Variability on Biodynamic Feedthrough Modeling in Touchscreen Dragging Tasks” (AIAA 2025-0976)
Authors: Giulia Leto, Daan M. Pool, Delft University of Technology [Professional]
2025 Plasmadynamics and Lasers Best Paper (2025)
“Hypersonic wake velocity measurements using acetone molecular tagging velocimetry” (AIAA 2024-4587)
Authors: Angelina Andrade, Chad O. Willamson, Nicholas W. Stegmeier, Kevin R. Posladek, Nathan S. Strasser, Christopher S. Combs, The University of Texas at San Antonio; W. Lawton Shoemake, Christopher L. Hall, Kristopher T. Olshefski, Nicole F. Nutter, Ryan S. Glasby, Oak Ridge National Laborator, University of Texas at San Antonio [Professional]
2025 Propellants and Combustion Best Paper Award
“Numerical Simulations of Non-Ideal Spray Detonations in Jet Fuels with a Shock-Droplet Interaction Model” (AIAA-2025-0388)
Authors: Sai Sandeep Dammati, Alexei Poludnenko, Nikolaos Kateris, Wendi Dong, Hai Wang, Tianfeng Lu, University of Connecticut School of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Manufacturing Engineering [Professional]
2025 SciTech Software Technical Committee Best Paper
“Error-Driven Design of AI-based Systems for Airborne Applications” (AIAA 2025-2673)
Authors: Umut Durak, Jasper Sprockhoff, Alexander Ahlbrecht, Siddartha Gupta, Trung T. Pham (Federal Aviation Administration), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Flight Systems, Braunschweig, Germany [Professional]
2025 Shahyar Pirzadeh Memorial Award
“Scalable Mesh Generation with Refinement Patterns via high-order basis” (AIAA 2025-0783)
Authors: Travis W. Drayna, Daniel E. Pekurovsky, Anthony L. Knutson, Graham V. Candler, University of Minnesota [Professional]
2025 Small Satellite Best Paper
“Mission Concept Development for the TERP RAPTOR (Terrapin Engineered Rideshare Probe for Rapid-response Asteroid Apophis Profiling, Tracking, Observing, and Reconnaissance)” (AIAA-2025-1401)
Authors: Brent W. Barbee, Adrienne Rudolph, Cameron Storey, Chinthan Prasad, Kruti Bhingradiya, Rahul Vishnoi‖, Ryan Mahon, Sean Phillips, David A. Akin, Mary Bowden, Jarred Young, University of Maryland [Professional]
2025 SciTech Solid Rockets Technical Committee Best Paper
“Modeling Three-Dimensional Effects and Nozzle Heat Transfer in Aft-Finocyl Solid Rocket Motors” (AIAA 2025-2331)
Authors: Daniele Bianchi, Marco Grossi, Gianluca Cocirla, Bernardo Favini Sapienza Universita di Roma [Professional]
2025 Terrestrial Energy Systems Best Paper Award
“Computational Design of Near-Critical Liquefaction Reactor towards Process Intensification” (AIAA 2025-0206)
Authors: Erhan Arslan, Kiran Raj Goud Burra, Ashwani K. Gupta, University of Maryland [Professional]
2025 V/STOL Best of Sessions Paper
“Integrating Aircraft Performance in Traffic Flow Management Analysis for Advanced Air Mobility” (AIAA-2025-3637)
Authors: Victoria R Gonzalez, Jacqueline Huynh, University of California Irvine [Professional]
Best Student Papers
2025 Aerospace Power Systems – Best Student Paper
“Towards Kardashev-Scale Type I of Human Advancement in Technological Civilization: An Innovative Solar Annular System for Energy Harnessing” (AIAA 6.2025-2028)
Authors: Arash Safaei, Benedetta Marazzato, Matteo Davide Lorenzo Della Vedova, Paolo Maggiore, Politecnico di Torino [Student]
2025 Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Student Paper Competition
“Reduced Order Modeling of an Entry Capsule from Simulated Ballistic Range Trajectories” (AIAA 2025-2010)
Authors: Hayden V. Dean, Christian Perron, Bradford E. Robertson, Dimitri N. Mavris, Georgia Institute of Technology [Student]
2025 Plasmadynamics and Lasers Best Student Paper 2025
“Altitude-Optimised Magnetic Field Strength for Enhanced Magnetohydrodynamic Aerobraking During Venus Entry” (AIAA-2025-2653)
Authors: Sebastiaan B. van Oeveren, David E. Gildfind, Vincent Wheatley, Rowan Gollan, Centre for Hypersonics, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, University of Queensland [Student Paper Competition]
2025 SciTech 2025 Sensor Systems and Information Fusion Best Paper Award
“Understanding the Impact of Unobservable Variables on the Performance of Predictive Models: The Need for Feature Space Partitioning and Fusion” (AIAA 2025-0435)
Authors: Ezequiel Juarez Garcia, Chad L. Stephens, NASA Langley Research Center; Nicholas J. Napoli, University of Florida. (Gainesville, FL) [Student]
2025 SciTech Solid Rockets Technical Committee Best Student Paper
“Closed-Form Analytical Solutions for Various Thermoacoustic Properties in Rijke Tubes with Different Endpoint Conditions” (AIAA 2025-2332)
Authors: Cody Shelton, Joe Majdalani, Auburn University [Student Paper Competition]
2025 Walter Lempert Best Paper Award
“Time-Resolved Plasma Density Measurements in a Fluorescent Tube Using Microwave Interferometry by Radar REMPI” (AIAA 2023-0797)
Authors: Christopher Grunbok, Arthur Dogariu, Richard B. Miles, Texas A&M University, [Student Paper Competition]
2025 Walter Lempert Best Paper Award – Honorable Mention
“Measurements of NO Rotational and Vibrational Temperatures, Partial Pressure, and Velocity in Hypersonic Shock Tunnel Flows” (AIAA 2025-0012)
Authors: Jonathan Gilvey, Christopher S. Goldenstein, Purdue University; Elijah Jans, Bradley Lyon, Charley Downing, Kyle P. Lynch, Justin L. Wagner, Sandia National Laboratories [Student Paper Competition]
2025 Walter Lempert Best Paper Award – Honorable Mention
“Flame Structure, Spray, and Blowout of a Lean Premixed Prevaporized Combustor With Conventional and Sustainable Jet Fuels” (AIAA 2025-0791)
Authors: Ari Jain, Ijeoma Obi, Yi C. Mazumdar, Adam M. Steinberg, Georgia Institute of Technology; Victor Salazar, Meenakshi Kodali, Krishna Venkatesan, GE Aerospace [Student Paper Competition]
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