MISA Symposium
September 19 & 20
With increasing global concerns regarding the environmental impact of the aviation industry, the University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering Department has launched the Michigan Initiative for Sustainable Aviation (MISA).
Speakers and Panelists
Marty Bradley
Sustainable Aviation Consultant and Educator
Bio
Dr. Bradley is a sustainable aviation consultant and educator with 39 years of experience. He teaches short courses for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) on sustainable aviation technologies and electrified aircraft. He is an Adjunct Professor of Practice at the University of Southern California where he teaches aircraft design and advises sustainable aviation research. He is a retired Boeing Technical Fellow and was instrumental in biofuel flight demonstrations and was responsible for the creation and research on the trailblazing NASA SUGAR concepts, including the SUGAR Volt hybrid electric airliner and the cryogenic fueled SUGAR Freeze. He is an AIAA Fellow and received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from USC.
Gaudy Bezos-O’Connor
Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration Project Manager, NASA
Bio
Ms. Bezos-O’Connor has over 3 decades of project management and R&D experience delivering high-risk, high-pay-off aerospace solutions for NASA in partnership with the FAA, the aerospace industry and academia. A highly collaborative leader, she brings a solid history of success in public-private partnerships and innovative project management strategies. For the past decade and a half, Ms. Bezos-O’Connor has been at the forefront of enabling Sustainable Aviation through NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project, and Advanced Air Transport Technology Project and the FAA CLEEN Program. Currently she is the Project Manager of NASA’s aviation industry-led MW-class electrified powertrain flight demonstration project that could transform the aerospace industry and result in a dramatic reduction of aircraft emissions and enable sustainable aviation.
Steve Ceccio
Interim Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Bio
Steven L. Ceccio is the Interim Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan. He is a world expert in naval hydrodynamics and, in particular, cavitating flows. He is passionate about creating an inclusive environment where all members of the Michigan Engineering community feel valued and supported.
Interim Dean Ceccio has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan since 1990. He is the Vincent T. and Gloria M. Gorguze Professor of Engineering, a professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics.
Previously, Interim Dean Ceccio served as associate dean for academic affairs (ADAA) in the College of Engineering, where he had oversight of faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure; merit reviews, budget reviews and planning; and space allocation. As ADAA, he worked with the Dean and leadership team to develop the College’s ME 2020 strategic vision; partnered with the associate dean for research to execute a college-level special strategic faculty hiring initiative; and supported a wide range of efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the College’s mission.
Carlos E. S. Cesnik
Richard A. Auhll Department Chair and the Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan
Bio
Dr. Carlos E. S. Cesnik is the Richard A. Auhll Department Chair and the Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan (U-M). He is the founding director of the Active Aeroelasticity and Structures Research Laboratory and was the director for the Airbus-Michigan Center for Aero-Servo-Elasticity of Very Flexible Aircraft until last year. Prior to his appointment as an associate professor, with tenure, at the University of Michigan in 2001, Professor Cesnik was the Boeing Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has also worked as a research engineer at Embraer S.A.
Professor Cesnik is an expert in multi-fidelity, multi-physics modeling, design, simulation, and experimentation of aeronautical systems. His research has focused on computational and experimental aeroelasticity of very flexible aircraft in support to sustainable aviation; aero-thermo-elastic modeling, analysis, and simulation of hypersonic vehicles; active vibration and noise reductions in helicopters; and structural health monitoring for damage detection in metallic/composite structures and metamaterials.
Professor Cesnik is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Vertical Flight Society, and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He was the Director for the Aerospace Design and Structures Group in AIAA’s Technical Activities Division (2017-2021), as well as an elected member of AIAA’s Council of Directors. He has over 350 publications as archival journal and conference papers, a recent book in dynamics of flexible aircraft, and several invited lectures in the areas of aeroelasticity, smart structures, structural mechanics, and structural health monitoring. Professor Cesnik has been an active private pilot since 1981.
Gökçin Çınar
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering and the Director of the Integrated Design of Environmentally-friendly Aerospace Systems (IDEAS) Lab at the University of Michigan
Bio
Dr. Gökçin Çınar (pronounced gok – chin chin – r ) is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering and the Director of the Integrated Design of Environmentally-friendly Aerospace Systems (IDEAS) Lab at the University of Michigan. Her research brings a holistic, systems-level perspective to the environmental impact of aircraft design and operation, with a special emphasis on electrified aircraft and sustainable aviation concepts. She employs model-based engineering and probabilistic and statistical methods, to analyze the complex behavior of aerospace vehicles.
With over a decade of research experience in sustainable aviation technologies and eight years specifically in electrified aircraft technologies, Gökçin has secured a diverse portfolio of research funding from government agencies and industry partners. Her work has contributed to advancing the understanding of system-level benefits and challenges in propulsion system electrification and power and energy management optimization for hybrid electric aircraft.
Gökçin is the Chair of the AIAA Electric Aircraft Technologies Technical Committee and the General Chair of the AIAA/IEEE Electric Aircraft Technologies Symposium 2024. She also holds a leadership role in AIAA’s newly founded Sustainable Aviation Working Group. She is one of the core team members of Michigan Initiative for Sustainable Aviation (MISA).
John-Paul Clarke
Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin
Bio
John-Paul Clarke is a professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Ernest Cockrell Jr. Memorial Chair in Engineering. Previously, he was a faculty member at the Georgia Tech and MIT; Vice President of Strategic Technologies at United (now Raytheon) Technologies; and a researcher at Boeing and NASA JPL. He has also co-founded multiple companies, most recently Universal Hydrogen – a company dedicated to the development of a comprehensive carbon-free solution for aviation.
Prof. Clarke is an expert in the development and use of stochastic models and optimization algorithms to improve the efficiency and robustness of complex systems, with a particular focus on aviation. For example, his work has led to the development of the world’s first fully autopilot-coupled continuous descent arrival procedure to be used in daily operations; airline schedules that are “robust” to poor weather and/or aircraft failures; and a state-of-the art algorithm to maximize the likelihood of success for a portfolio of research and development projects (or financial assets) with uncertain future performance and schedule.
He has served and continues to serve on several national and international technical committees, and corporate boards. For example, he is a member of the NASA Advisory Council and Chair of the NASA Aeronautics Committee, and in addition to being the Chair of the Board of Directors of Cayman Airways Limited, is a member of the Boards of Directors of Universal Hydrogen Co., Indigo Insurance Ltd., and the PROVEN Group.
Prof. Clarke received the S.B., S.M., and Sc.D. degrees from MIT in 1991, 1992, and 1997, respectively. He is a Fellow of the AIAA and the RAeS, and is a member of AGIFORS, INFORMS, and Sigma Xi. His many prior honors include the 1999 AIAA/AAAE/ACC Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award, the 2003 FAA Excellence in Aviation Award, the 2006 National Academy of Engineering Gilbreth Lectureship, the 2012 AIAA/SAE William Littlewood Lectureship, and the 2015 SAE Environmental Excellence in Transportation Award.
Suman Dwari
Power Electronics Research Team Lead, at Raytheon Technology Research Center
Bio
Dr. Suman Dwari is currently Power Electronics Research Team Lead, at Raytheon Technology Research Center. He has over 18 years of R&D experience in the areas of power electronics, electromagnetics, electrical and electronics components, and electrified aircraft and vehicle systems. He has been PI / lead researcher of many Raytheon and government funded projects, including DARPA, ARPA-E, NASA, DOE, to make original contributions in diverse technical areas, which includes, high performance power electronics, aircraft electrification, micro-grids, and energy systems, Wide-band-gap devices and power conversion, high frequency magnetics, electrical machines, wireless power transfer, energy harvesting etc. He has over 30 patents and 45 publications.
Mirko Gamba
Associate Professor in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan
Bio
Mirko Gamba is an Associate Professor in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Abor. His research focuses on fundamental research in a diverse range of advanced and sustainable application concepts for propulsion and energy conversion systems, using laser diagnostics techniques as tools to investigate fundamental phenomena that control operation of these systems.
Jennifer Haverkamp
Professor from Practice, Graham Family Director, University of Michigan Graham Institute for Sustainability
Bio
Professor Jennifer A. Haverkamp is a professor from practice at Michigan Law and the Graham Family Director of the U-M Graham Sustainability Institute. Her interests include international environmental law, climate change, international trade and sustainability, global environmental policy and negotiations, and international water diplomacy.
As director of the University’s Graham Institute, Haverkamp is charged with facilitating sustainability-focused collaborations between faculty and students from many disciplines across campus with external stakeholders including communities, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, professional organizations, and the private sector. Before joining U-M in October 2018, Haverkamp served as a visiting professor of practice and distinguished practitioner in residence at Cornell Law School, as well as executive in residence at the David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, also at Cornell University.
Prior to that, she served as special representative for environment and water resources, with personal rank of ambassador, in the U.S. Department of State. In 2016, she led U.S. climate negotiators to a successful international agreement under the Montreal Protocol to decrease global use of hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas. She also facilitated a successful agreement by the International Civil Aviation Organization to adopt the first-ever global market-based measure to address aviation carbon emissions. In this role, Haverkamp also oversaw diplomatic engagement in transboundary water management, water conflicts, and global water governance.
Besides her time in the State Department, Haverkamp’s distinguished career in government included serving as the assistant U.S. trade representative for environment and natural resources, as a special assistant in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s office of enforcement and compliance, and as an attorney in the U.S. Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, where her work on the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act earned the Attorney General’s John Marshall award. She also led the international climate program at the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, and has taught international trade and sustainable development law at The George Washington University and environmental law and policy at Johns Hopkins University.
Haverkamp has served for many years on the board of trustees for The College of Wooster. She also has served on numerous nonprofit boards and advisory councils, including the boards of the Verified Carbon Standard Association and the American Bird Conservancy as well as on The Office of the United States Trade Representative’s Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee.
Matt Hutchison
Vice President of Engineering and Chief Engineer for the Vertical Lift division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Bio
Dr. Matthew (Matt) Hutchison is Vice President of Engineering and Chief Engineer for the Vertical Lift division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. In this role, Dr. Hutchison leads all engineering activities for the Vertical Lift portfolio, including the AH-64 Apache, AH-6 Little Bird, CH-47 Chinook, MH-139A Grey Wolf, and Boeing’s portions of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor.
Prior to this position, Dr. Hutchison was the Chief Operating Officer for Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary, where he was responsible for leading the engineering, manufacturing, flight operations, quality assurance and site operations teams in support of the company’s three business sectors.
Dr. Hutchison’s professional career began as an engineer with General Electric in the power-generation industry between his undergraduate and graduate studies. After graduate school, he started with Aurora as the leader of the company’s aero / performance team. Subsequent management roles included program chief engineer, program manager and vice president in several roles. In the early 2000’s, he was part of the leadership team that spun off Athena Technologies, Incorporated to focus on the development of highly integrated navigation and control systems for the unmanned aircraft market. In 2008, Athena was acquired by Rockwell Collins and became Rockwell Collins Control Technologies. At Rockwell Collins, he held several management roles, including leadership of the UAS and Control Technologies business and the Warrenton, VA site. In 2014, he returned to Aurora as Vice President of Engineering and in 2017 assumed the role of COO.
Dr. Hutchison has over 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry with a particular focus on the design, development, testing and operations of manned and unmanned aircraft. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, both from Virginia Tech.
LeAnn Ridgeway
Chief Sustainability Officer for Collins Aerospace
Bio
LeAnn Ridgeway is Chief Sustainability Officer for Collins Aerospace. In this role, to which she was appointed in November 2021, Ridgeway is responsible for leading Sustainability strategy and implementation for across the Collins Business Units. In addition, she also represents Collins on the RTX Corporate Environmental, Social and Governance Committee.
Prior to her current position, Ridgeway served as vice president and general manager Information Management Services (IMS) for Collins Aerospace, where she was responsible for leading the global IMS business, including aviation network services and ground systems, flight support and communications services and information processing.
She joined Rockwell Collins in 1988 and has held various positions of increasing responsibility, including: vice president and general manager of Integration for B/E Aerospace, which the company acquired in April 2017 and vice president and general manager for Simulation and Training Solutions in Government Systems; vice president and managing director, Americas; and senior director, Engineering Services.
A native of Anamosa, Iowa, Ridgeway earned her bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Mt. Mercy University. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from St. Ambrose University. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Mt. Mercy University as well as a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the University of Michigan School of Aerospace Engineering. She previously served on several non-profit boards as well as on the Board of Directors for Rockwell Collins UK Limited and as VP of the Board for; ARINC Incorporated, Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated, ARINC International Incorporated and Radio Holdings, Incorporated.
Max Li
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan
Bio
Max is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also has courtesy appointments in Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as Industrial and Operations Engineering. Max received his PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2021. He earned his MSE in Systems Engineering and BSE in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, both from the University of Pennsylvania, in 2018. Max’s research and teaching interests include air transportation systems, airport and airline operations, Advanced Air Mobility, networked systems, as well as optimization and control.
Ben Marchionna
Director of Technology & Business Development at Electra.aero
Bio
Ben is the Director of Technology & Business Development at Electra.aero, a startup developing feasible, innovative electric aircraft solutions at the nexus of advanced air mobility and the decarbonization of aviation.
Before Electra, Ben built and led the Operations team at SkySpecs, a Goldman Sachs-backed tech startup creating autonomous drones, robotics, and software solutions for the clean energy industry. He started his career in aircraft design and flight test at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, where he graduated from its Engineering Leadership Development Program.
Ben has earned a BSE in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MS in Product Development Engineering from the University of Southern California.
Outside of work, he chairs the University of Michigan’s Aerospace Industry Advisory Board, is a member of the State of Michigan’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Task Force, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA).
Joaquim R. R. A. Martins
Pauline M. Sherman Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan
Bio
Joaquim R. R. A. Martins is the Pauline M. Sherman Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he heads the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Laboratory. His research group develops MDO methods and applies them to the design of aircraft and other engineering systems. He is a co-author of “Engineering Design Optimization“, a textbook published by Cambridge University Press. Prof. Martins is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Before joining the University of Michigan faculty in 2009, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. From 2002, he held a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Multidisciplinary Optimization. He received his undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Imperial College, London, with a British Aerospace Award. He obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University, where he was awarded the Ballhaus prize for best thesis in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has received the Best Paper Award at AIAA Conferences five times. He has served as Associate Editor for the AIAA Journal, Optimization and Engineering, and Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. He is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Aircraft.
Tim Niznik
Director of Analytics for the Integrated Operations Center (IOC) at American Airlines
Bio
Tim Niznik serves as Director of Analytics for the Integrated Operations Center (IOC) at American Airlines where he provides directional leadership and vision through the delivery of advanced analytics and data science to operational decisions and performance.
Tim has been recognized both internally at American Airlines and externally within the airline industry for his innovations in the areas of disruption management and air traffic management. Tim served as Co-Chair of the AGIFORS Operations Group from 2003-2018 and has participated on numerous FAA Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) teams. He also served as the American Airlines Technical lead for NASA’s ATD-2 project: “Integrated Arrival, Departure, and Surface Metroplex Traffic Management” which was the recipient of the 2022 “Maverick Award” for Sustainability by the World ATM Congress.
Tim holds a B.A in Mathematics from St. Olaf College, a M.Sc. in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Operations Research and Economics from the Colorado School of Mines.
Jacob O’Neill
Director of Environment & Sustainability at Wayne County Airport Authority
Bio
Jacob O’Neill is a seasoned aviation leader who currently serves as the Director of Environment & Sustainability at Wayne County Airport Authority overseeing both DTW and YIP airports. In this role, he manages a wide spectrum of responsibilities including storm water, domestic water, sanitary infrastructure, sustainability efforts, and environmental regulatory matters at both airfields.
Prior to joining the Authority in 2021, Jacob began his career as an engineer for Chrysler in the Detroit area before amassing a decade experience with United Airlines in Chicago. At United, Jacob diverse skillset led to a variety of roles including corporate strategy, airport operations, analytics, revenue management, and customer experience.
Jacob’s educational foundation began with a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Engineering from Kettering University. He then earned his Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He and his wife live in Canton, Michigan with their three children and he spends much of his time away from the airfield coaching a range of youth sports.
Wally Orisamolu
Associate Director for Advanced Concepts & Technologies at the Pratt & Whitney division of RTX Corporation
Bio
Dr. Wally Orisamolu is currently the Associate Director for Advanced Concepts & Technologies at the Pratt & Whitney division of RTX Corporation. In this role, he has responsibility for identifying, prioritizing, planning, and maturing technologies for the next generation of advanced propulsion systems to ensure timely readiness for product insertion. He also has responsibility for developing and nurturing strategic technology collaboration and partnerships with government organizations, research institutions, as well as key national and international aerospace companies.
Dr. Orisamolu’s professional experience includes research, technology development and technology/innovation management, especially at RTX, over the past 24 years. During his tenure at RTX, he has held several leadership and management positions at multiple divisions, including responsibilities for the management of large technology programs and departments, as well as the development of robust processes for technology maturation and management.
Dr. Orisamolu is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and a member of the SAE, including its G-11 Committee on Probabilistic Methods. He earned his PhD and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Lagos, in Lagos, Nigeria.
Brad Orr
Associate VP for Natural Sciences and Engineering serving in the University’s Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)
Bio
Brad Orr is the Associate VP for Natural Sciences and Engineering serving in the University’s Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). As AVP, Orr supports the research efforts of faculty in the disciplines of natural sciences and engineering. He also serves as a liaison to the schools and departments in these disciplines and collaborates with other members of the OVPR Leadership Team in fostering interdisciplinary initiatives. In addition, Orr provides support for several OVPR units and programs, including the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS), the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering (MICDE), the Quantum Research Institute (QRI), and the Michigan Sea Grant program. His research focuses on the study of surfaces and structures using ultra-microscopies.
Steven Shepard
Senior Program Manager: Power & Propulsion, Directed Energy at Lockheed Martin
Bio
Dr. Steven Shepard has 19 years of experience at Lockheed Martin (LM), where he serves as the Sr. R&D Program Manager for Power & Propulsion (P&P), as well as Counter-Directed Energy Weapons (C-DEW), under LM’s Corporate Technology Office. In this role, Dr. Shepard reports up through LM’s chief technology officer Dr. Steve Walker and is responsible for providing thought leadership and execution over the corporation’s cross-BA research efforts in P&P and C-DEW, including IRAD and CRAD portfolios for the Department of Defense and NASA.
Research includes electrification for UAVs and vertical takeoff and lift aircraft, nuclear fission heat-to-power for Lunar surface power and nuclear thermal propulsion, advanced power and energy storage, including solid-state batteries to increase available platform energy densities, air-breathing and high-powered electric propulsion, advanced hypersonic propulsion, on-orbit refueling, power beaming, aircraft inlet design optimization and advanced C-DEW materials development for various aerospace platforms. Prior to this, Dr. Shepard was the Research Manager for Advanced Materials and Energetics under the Hypersonics and Advanced Materials Directorate at LM’s Advanced Technology Center, where he led a team of scientists and engineers on research and technology insertion for LM platforms. This research included modeling, simulation and testing of high energy laser
Rickey J. Shyne
Director of Research and Engineering, NASA
Bio
Dr. Rickey J. Shyne is the Director of Research and Engineering, and he is responsible for leading and managing Glenn’s research and development competencies in propulsion, communications, power, materials, and structures for extreme environments support of NASA’s aeronautics and space missions. He manages a staff of over 1000 engineers, researchers, scientists, and support staff. During his almost 40-year career he has served in numerous capacities at NASA Glenn and the agency.
Dr. Shyne received a Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee State University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Toledo, both in Mechanical Engineering. Additionally, he received a Doctor of Philosophy in engineering science with a concentration in fluid/thermal sciences from the University of Toledo, completed the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive Fellows Executive Management Program in Public Policy, the Aspen Institute Executive Management Seminar, and the Pennsylvania State University Engineer/Scientist as a Manager Executive Development Program. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Ohio.
Dr. Shyne has received numerous NASA and external awards including the Exceptional Service and Exceptional Achievement Medals, a Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service and the 2015 University of Toledo College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award to name a few. He was recently elected as a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations.
Amanda Simpson
Vice President, Research and Technology (R&T) at Airbus Americas
Bio
Amanda Simpson, Vice President, Research and Technology (R&T) at Airbus Americas, is responsible for establishing the strategic direction and funding opportunities for partnerships with scientific and research communities in North America.
Ms. Simpson brings more than 40 years of aerospace industry experience in the public and private sectors, including leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Commerce, Douglas Aircraft Company, Hughes Aircraft Company, Hughes Helicopters, Inc. and the Raytheon Company.
Earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Harvey Mudd College, Ms. Simpson also holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering from California State University, Northridge and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Arizona. She is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).
Ms. Simpson holds both an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and a Certified Flight Instructor license, and has logged nearly 3,000 hours of flying in more than 60 different types of aircraft including floatplanes, flying boats, unmanned drones, and multi-engine jets.
Research includes electrification for UAVs and vertical takeoff and lift aircraft, nuclear fission heat-to-power for Lunar surface power and nuclear thermal propulsion, advanced power and energy storage, including solid-state batteries to increase available platform energy densities, air-breathing and high-powered electric propulsion, advanced hypersonic propulsion, on-orbit refueling, power beaming, aircraft inlet design optimization and advanced C-DEW materials development for various aerospace platforms. Prior to this, Dr. Shepard was the Research Manager for Advanced Materials and Energetics under the Hypersonics and Advanced Materials Directorate at LM’s Advanced Technology Center, where he led a team of scientists and engineers on research and technology insertion for LM platforms. This research included modeling, simulation and testing of high energy laser
Ted Thrasher
Leads aviation environmental research and analysis projects at The MITRE Corporation
Bio
Ted Thrasher leads aviation environmental research and analysis projects at The MITRE Corporation. Throughout his career, he has provided technical guidance to many high-impact modeling and simulation efforts, including FAA’s airport air quality Emissions and Dispersion Modeling System, and the subsequent multi-scale Aviation Environmental Design Tool.
Ted previously served as Chief, Environmental Standards, at the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, where he was responsible for all activities related to setting international standards and policies for aircraft environmental performance. During his tenure, he oversaw the development of two new aircraft emissions standards for CO2 and non-volatile particulate matter, and the update of noise and NOx emissions standards. He also led the development of ICAO’s guidance material and support tools for the quantification of aviation’s impact on the environment.
Ted holds a bachelor of science degree in aviation from The Ohio State University and a master of science degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and is a former flight instructor.
John Vassberg
Chief Design Officer of JetZero
Bio
Dr. Vassberg is currently the Chief Design Officer of JetZero, a start-up company focused on dramatically reducing aircraft emissions for the commercial transport industry. John recently received the 2022 Maurice Roy Medal from International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden for his role in the development of the Common Research Model. After ~40 years with Boeing, Dr. Vassberg recently retired as the Chief Aerodynamicist and Technical Lead of BCA Advanced Concepts Design Center in Southern California. He was a Boeing Technical Fellow, is an AIAA Fellow, and recipient of the AIAA Aerodynamics Award in 2012 and the International Cooperation Award in 2017. Prior to this, he was the Chief Aerodynamicist of Boeing’s Phantom Works and Research & Technology organizations, and as such, he was the Principal Investigator of the Advanced Joint Air Combat System, Speed-Agile Configuration Development (SACD) and Over-Wing Nacelle programs. The SACD Program received the 2013 Aviation Week Laureate Award in Aero and Propulsion.
Richard Wahls
Sustainable Flight National Partnership (SFNP) Mission Integration Manager for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, NASA
Bio
Dr. Richard Wahls is NASA’s Sustainable Flight National Partnership (SFNP) Mission Integration Manager for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. He is responsible for long-range strategic technical planning and coordination of projects supporting the mission across NASA programs and with industry, academia, and national/international government agencies. Dr. Wahls has been with NASA for 32 years serving in increasingly broad and influential leadership positions in national aeronautics programs, most recently as the senior technical and strategy advisor to the Director of NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles and Fundamental Aeronautics Programs at NASA Headquarters. Previously, Dr. Wahls served as Assistant Head of the Configuration Aerodynamics Branch at NASA Langley Research Center where his career began as a researcher. His personal research emphasized high Reynolds number aerodynamics/scale effects utilizing the unique capabilities of the U.S. National Transonic Facility, and the study of innovative aerodynamic technologies and aircraft configurations. He is the author or co-author of 80 technical publications and has given invited presentations around the world. Dr. Wahls is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society, and earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University.
Susan Ying
Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships and Operations at Ampaire
Bio
She is the Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships and Operations at Ampaire, based in California, US. She is also the VP Aerospace serving on the Board of Directors of the SAE International, and is a Board member of the Lindbergh Foundation.
Dr. Ying has devoted over four decades to the aerospace industry, including three years as the Chief Integration Officer of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). In 2013, she retired from the Boeing Company as the Director of Research and Technology. Before joining Boeing, Ying taught at universities and directed research in the DOE Research Labs and NASA Ames Research Center. She also was an inaugural member in the NASA Advisory Council Innovation and Technology Committee. Demonstrating success both at individual and team levels, Dr. Ying has been the recipient of many honors, including “Top 50 Women Leaders of Los Angeles for 2022”, the People’s Republic of China Friendship Award, Asian American Engineer of the Year Award, Boeing Professional Excellence Award from the CTO, NASA Group Achievement Award, AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Best Paper Award, and the Professional Achievement Award for Women of Color in Technology. Dr. Ying is a past President of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS), now a member and chair of the Honorary Fellow Advisory Group (2023-2024) which supports the Executive Committee to shape the agenda of this multinational professional aerospace organization. Dr. Ying is recognized as a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).
With a deep passion for flight, Dr. Ying holds a Commercial Pilot License and is a FAA-Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). She received her PhD and MS degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University and BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University.