Ahsan Choudhuri Professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and Associate Vice President and Founding Director, Aerospace Center University of Texas at El Paso

Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri is the Associate Vice President of the Aerospace Center at The University of Texas at El Paso. The Aerospace Center has expanded beyond its initial research focus when Dr. Choudhuri founded it in 2009 as the Center for Space Exploration Technology Research. In partnership with NASA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and many industry partners, this premier, minority-serving research center explores new technologies and challenges in space, aeronautics, defense and energy using digital tools and skills that are transforming the way we design, build and test systems. Under Dr. Choudhuri’s leadership, the Aerospace Center has developed an expansive vision to exponentially expand our nation’s talent-force by unleashing new opportunities for students from every background and every zip code through cutting-edge, applied research in aerospace, defense and energy. Fully embracing UTEP’s commitment to access and excellence, the Aerospace Center has developed a student-centered model that is an engine of social and economic mobility for the students who are hired as research assistants.

Dr. Ahsan Choudhuri is an internationally renowned expert in aerospace and defense systems and has led the growth of UTEP's aerospace, defense and energy education and research program from its infancy to a program that is nationally recognized. Under his leadership, the Aerospace Center has grown from a 3,000 square foot lab employing 30 students as research assistants to over 35,000 square feet in laboratory space and 8,000 acres of test facilities employing 200 students today. In 2021, The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved a new degree proposal by UTEP to establish a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering, and the Aerospace Center is developing the skills and curriculum for digital engineering which will transform the way we design and build the aerospace and defense systems of tomorrow. Dr. Choudhuri has formed strategic collaborations and partnerships with NASA, DOE, DOD, and aerospace and defense industries that have fueled the Aerospace Center’s growth and created unparrelled opportunities for students. His new mission focuses on leveraging the research preeminence of the Aerospace Center and our sister center, the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, to create jobs and business opportunity in aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing in El Paso. Dr. Choudhuri is a member of the Executive Committee of the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC), which supports NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Dr. Choudhuri chairs the Urban Air Mobility Committee that advises the Texas legislature on a strategic and regulary framework to take advantage of the economic opportunities of unmanned aerial systems while ensuring maximum safety.   

Dr. Choudhuri is a proud alumnus of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, where he received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.