Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award Open for Nominations 10 November 2025 – 15 January 2026

Award Recipients

2024

• Dr Kumar G Bhatia
  Retired

  Awarded

  Award: 2024 AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering the use of multidisciplinary design optimization in transport aircraft and developing a rapid approach for aircraft MDO employing appropriate fidelity analyses.

2020

• Dr Raymond M Kolonay
  AFRL/RQVC

  Awarded

  Award: 2020 AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award

  AIAA Citation: "For visionary leadership in the MDO community and development of nonlinear unsteady aeroelastic optimization methods and collaborative/distributed architectures enabling large scale multidisciplinary aircraft design."

2018

• Dr Evin J Cramer
  Boeing Engineering Operations & Technology

  Awarded

  Award: 2018 Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award

  AIAA Citation: 2018 Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Award

2016

• Dr Rakesh K Kapania
  Virginia Tech

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For significant contributions in the MDO of truss-braced aircraft, efficient supersonic air vehicles, and pioneering the MDO of wings with curvilinear Spars and Ribs

2014

• Dr Robert A Canfield
  Virginia Tech

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering research on design optimization methods leading to structural optimization software, application of MDO to advanced aircraft concepts such as sensorcraft and for leadership in the MDO community.

2012

• Dr Christina L Bloebaum
  Iowa State University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For seminal MDO research contributions in method development, interactive design and n-dimensional visualization tools and for exceptional leadership and service to the MDO profession

2010

• Dr Achille Messac
  Howard University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering research in multidisciplinary design optimization including control structure integrated design and physical programming; and for outstanding and visionary leadership in the aerospace community.

2008

• Prof Ilan M Kroo
  Stanford University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For founding and revolutionary technical contributions to the field of multidisciplinary optimization as well as pioneering and successful efforts in bringing MDO into practical industrial applications.

2006

• Dr Ramana V Grandhi
  Air Force Institute of Technology

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding leadership and enduring contributions to Multidisciplinary Design Optimization including methods adopted in commercial software for adaptive multipoint approximations, uncertainty quantification, and reliability-based design of structures.

2004

• Dr Prabhat Hajela
  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  Awarded

  Award: -

  AIAA Citation: For seminal contributions to the development and adaptation of soft computing methods for multidisciplinary design, and for leadership in promoting MDO education at the national and international levels.

2002

• Dr Garret N Vanderplaats
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding service to the aerospace community and for distinguished contributions to the vision, theory, and practice of multidisciplinary analysis and design optimization

2000

• Dr Vipperla B Venkayya
  US Air Force

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding contributions to the organization and planning of the MA&O Symposium.

1998

• Dr Raphael T Haftka
  University of Florida

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For voluminous contributions to the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization theory and practice and for educating a cadre of MDO users

1996

• Dr Jaroslaw Sobieski
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering fundamental research of multidisciplinary design optimization methods and for successfully advocating their acceptance in the Aerospace community

1994

• Prof Lucien A Schmit
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding leadership and for pioneering the development, teaching and application of multidisciplinary optimization methods for engineering design