AIAA Awards and Lectures
Celebrate Your Peers Top Achievements at 2025 ASCEND.
Recognizing Top Achievements an AIAA Tradition
AIAA is committed to ensuring that aerospace professionals are recognized and celebrated for their achievements, innovations, and discoveries that make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous. From the major missions that reimagine how our nation utilizes air and space to the inventive new applications that enhance everyday living, aerospace professionals leverage their knowledge for the benefit of society. AIAA continues to celebrate that pioneering spirit showcasing the very best in the aerospace industry.
AIAA Premier Lectures
2025 AIAA David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce
Jamie M. Morin
Vice President of Defense Strategic Space and Executive Director of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy The Aerospace Corporation
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: “Accelerating Space and Defense Innovation through Savvy Policy”
Lecture Date and Location: Tuesday, 22 July at 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m., Forum 128
2025 AIAA Wright Brothers Lecture in Aeronautics
Susan Ying
CEO, AMP2FLY
This lecture commemorates the accomplishment of the Wright Brothers in creating the first practical airplane and also recognizes the success of their approach to problem-solving – beginning with study of the literature, and including innovative thinking, constructive debate, systematic testing, and teamwork. In particular, the Wright Brothers Lectureship is awarded for the recent accomplishment of a significant “First in Aeronautical Engineering”. The lecture will highlight the details of the accomplishment and the approaches to meeting both the technical and programmatic challenges involved.
Lecture: “Emergence of Hybrid Electric Aircraft”
Lecture Date and Location: Wednesday, 23 July at 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m., Academy 407
AIAA Premier Award
2025 AIAA Aerospace Excellence Award
SpaceX
Accepting on behalf of SpaceX, Nick Cummings, Senior Director of Government Systems Advanced Development
This award honors a unique achievement by a group or team in the aerospace community that is shaping the future of aerospace – and inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in aerospace.
Citation: “For demonstrating controlled landings of the Starship Super Heavy booster by catching it with arms on the launch tower and accelerating the development of the space economy through this fully reusable launch vehicle.”
Please join us to celebrate the following awards at the 2025 AIAA Awards Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday 22 July 2025 in the Academy 407 Ballroom. This is a free event, all are welcome.
AIAA Technical Excellence Awards
2025 AIAA Aeroacoustics Award
Anastasios “Tasos” Lyrintzis
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
This award is presented for an outstanding technical or scientific achievement resulting from an individual’s contribution to the field of aircraft community noise reduction.
Citation: “For seminal contributions to aeroacoustics, including the introduction of surface integral methods for the extension of CFD results to the far-field.”
2025 AIAA Aerodynamics Award
Richard A. Wahls
NASA Headquarters
This award is presented for meritorious achievement in the field of applied aerodynamics, recognizing notable contributions in the development, application, and evaluation of aerodynamic concepts and methods.
Citation: “For outstanding leadership and technical contributions advancing high-confidence computational and experimental aerodynamic tools for prediction and analysis of airplane configurations and technologies.”
2025 AIAA Aircraft Design Award
Isabelle Bloy
A321XLR Team Airbus
This award is presented to an individual or team for an original concept or career contributions leading to a significant advancement in aircraft design or design technology.
Citation: “For contributions to the Airbus A321XLR, a narrowbody aircraft opening long-haul services to airlines, successfully launched in 2019 with an entry into service in 2024.”
2025 AIAA Aircraft Design Award
Ahmet Kiryaman
Chief Airworthiness A321XLR Engineer, now Chief Engineer Single Aisle, Germany
This award is presented to an individual or team for an original concept or career contributions leading to a significant advancement in aircraft design or design technology.
Citation: “For contributions to the Airbus A321XLR, a narrowbody aircraft opening long-haul services to airlines, successfully launched in 2019 with an entry into service in 2024.”
2025 AIAA Aircraft Design Award
Thierry Diez
Chief Pilot, A321XLR
This award is presented to an individual or team for an original concept or career contributions leading to a significant advancement in aircraft design or design technology.
Citation: “For contributions to the Airbus A321XLR, a narrowbody aircraft opening long-haul services to airlines, successfully launched in 2019 with an entry into service in 2024.”
2025 AIAA Fluid Dynamics Award
Ari Glezer
Georgia Institute of Technology
This award is presented for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the behavior of liquids and gases in motion as related to need in aeronautics and astronautics.
Citation: “For groundbreaking contributions to fundamental understanding, application, and invention of actuation strategies for active flow control.”
2025 AIAA Ground Testing Award
Nicole L. Key
Purdue University
This award is presented for outstanding achievement in the development or effective utilization of technology, procedures, facilities, or modeling techniques for flight simulation, space simulation, propulsion testing, aerodynamic testing, or other ground testing associated with aeronautics and astronautics.
Citation: “For outstanding contributions to the rigorous testing of advanced high-speed compressor and fan technologies, with application of state-of-the-art diagnostic methods.”
2025 AIAA Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program Management
Richard (Rick) A. Rezabek
Lockheed Martin (retired)
This award is presented to an individual for outstanding contributions in the management of a significant aeronautical or aeronautical related program or project.
Citation: “For outstanding leadership and management of the X-35 throughout the technically innovative, challenging, safe, and successful design, development, and flight test.”
2025 AIAA Losey Atmospheric Sciences Award
Philippe Villedieu
ONERA
This award is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the atmospheric sciences as applied to the advancement of aeronautics and astronautics.
Citation: “For distinguished contributions to the advancement of aeronautics through research, leadership, and teaching in the atmospheric science of ice crystal and supercooled liquid icing.”
2025 AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Award
Mark A. Cappelli
Stanford University
This award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding of the physical properties and dynamical behavior of matter in the plasma state and lasers as related to aeronautics and astronautics.
Citation: “For impactful computational and experimental research in plasma flow control, plasma assisted combustion, spacecraft electric propulsion, laser diagnostics, and the mentoring of future aerospace leaders.”
2025 AIAA Thermophysics Award
Deborah Ann Levin
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
This award is presented for an outstanding singular or sustained technical or scientific contribution by an individual in thermophysics, specifically as related to the study and application of the properties and mechanisms involved in thermal energy transfer and the study of environmental effects on such properties and mechanisms
Citation: “In recognition of her pioneering work into deriving new thermo-physical insights into complex, multiscale high-speed flows using particle kinetic simulation approaches.”
2025 AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management
Thomas H. Zurbuchen
ETH Zurich
This award gives national recognition to an individual(s) for outstanding contributions in the management of a significant space or space-related program or project.
Citation: “For exemplary leadership of NASA’s science program and its successful civilization-scale science missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope, Mars 2020, and Parker Solar Probe.”
PROFESSIONAL BEST PAPER AWARDS
2024 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Best Paper
“Wind Tunnel Testing of AFC over a Deflected Aileron on the High-Lift Common Research Model,” (AIAA 2024-3672)
Authors: LaTunia Pack Melton, Mehti Koklu, Marlyn Y. Andino, and Judith A. Hannon, NASA Langley Research Center
2024 AIAA Ground Testing Best Paper Award
“Testing of Two Mars Powered Descent Vehicle Concepts in the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel,” (AIAA 2024-3970)
Authors: Karl T. Edquist, NASA Langley Research Center; Bryan Falman, Jacobs Technology Inc; Devin E. Burns, Anthony Watkins, and Harry Pham, NASA Langley Research Center; and Heather Houlden, TMC Technologies
2024 AIAA Modeling and Simulation Best Paper Award
“Advancements in Flight Simulation Visual Systems: An In-Depth Analysis of Variable Collimation Display Technology,” (AIAA 2024-4205)
Authors: Robert Batchko, Andrew Apodaca, Steven Winston, Samuel Robinson, Samuel Morales, Taeten Prettyman, David Perez, and Hye Jin Kim, Holochip Corporation; and Benito Graniela, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD)
2024 AIAA V/STOL Best Paper
“Thrust Testing and Experimental Validation of a Magnetically Levitated Rotor for Electric Flight Applications,” (AIAA 2024-4314)
Authors: Peter R. O’Regan, Torbjörn A. Lembke, Ian M. Randall, Spencer B. Gedestad, Justin O. Juranovits, Archit N. Hardikar, Bernardo M. Concia, and Phillip C. Gomez, MagLev Aero, Inc.
2025 AIAA Electrified Aircraft Technology Best Paper
“Aluminum-Air Batteries for Aircraft Applications,” (AIAA 2025-0506)
Authors: Cole S. Pawlak, Emily A. Lory and Phillip J. Ansell, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2025 AIAA Fluid Dynamics Best Paper
“Closed-Loop Simulations of Human-Scale Mars Lander Descent Trajectories on Frontier,” (AIAA 2024-3535)
Authors: Gabriel C. Nastac, Zachary Ernst, Alexandra M. Hickey, Aaron C. Walden, Kevin E. Jacobson, William T. Jones, Eric J. Nielsen, Boris Diskin, Li Wang, and Ashley M. Korzun, NASA Langley Research Center; Patrick J. Moran, NASA Ames Research Center; and Hayden Dean, Alexandra Hickey, Dimitri N. Mavris, and Bradford E. Robertson, Georgia Institute of Technology; Justin Luitjens, Marc Nienhaus, Dragos Tatulea, and Rajko Yasui-Schoeffel, NVIDIA Corporation; Boris Diskin, National Institute of Aerospace; and Mohammad Zubair, Old Dominion University
2025 AIAA Thermophysics Best Paper
“Analysis of Fast Thin-Film Temperature Gauges for Hypersonic Environments,” (AIAA 2025-2843)
Authors: Sunyoung Lee, Luke Vergeer, Julian Marin, Andreas Gross, Fangjun Shu, and Jay Frankel, New Mexico State University
2025 AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Best Paper
“Identification of Sources of Sub-Convective Wall Pressure Fluctuations Using Space-Time Pressure-Velocity Correlations,” (AIAA 2024-3166)
Authors: Humza Butt, Shishir Damani, William J. Devenport, and Todd K. Lowe, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
STUDENT BEST PAPERS
2025 AIAA David Weaver Thermophysics Best Student Paper
“Simultaneous, Pathlength-Amplified Laser Absorption Measurements of Excited Air Species in a Shock Tube,” (AIAA 2025-1995)
Authors: Devin Merrell, Dylan Drescher, Zev N. Granowitz, Efaine Chang, Jesse W. Streicher, Christopher Strand, and Ronald K. Hanson, Stanford University
