She joins a distinguished lineup of speakers from industry, government, and academia. These visionaries will take the stage during plenary and Forum 360 programming and will offer you their global perspectives on critical aerospace issues. Join us 12–16 January in Orlando, FL.
Tag: AIAA SciTech Forum 2026
AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 Bringing Aerospace Innovation to Orlando
FROM THE INSTITUTE
At the forum, you’ll gain fresh insights into the latest advances in aerospace R&D. With a happy hour, luncheon, workshops, and other special events, you’ll have opportunities to expand your network and reconnect with friends and colleagues. Join us 12–16 January in Orlando, Florida.
Astronaut Peggy Whitson to Open AIAA SciTech Forum 2026
AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 Is Just Around the Corner
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The forum will feature 3,000 technical presentations spanning 65+ topics, including aerodynamic measurement technology, applied aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, GNC, hypersonics, intelligent systems, spaceflight mechanics, and more. Join us 12–16 January in Orlando, FL.
AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 Adds Prominent Speakers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA will kick off SciTech Forum 2026 with opening remarks from America’s most experienced astronaut, Peggy Whitson, Vice President of Human Spaceflight, Axiom Space. The event is scheduled 12–16 January, Hyatt Regency Orlando. Other daily plenary speakers will cover the latest innovations transforming aerospace, including:
- Jonathan Arenberg, Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration, Northrop Grumman, shares insights from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
- Arbi Karapetian, Director, Innovation and Technology, Formula 1, brings nearly 30 years of aerospace experience to reveal how innovation fuels performance across industries
- Jason Levin, SVP of Engineering for Air Dominance & Strike, Anduril, showcases lessons learned in developing its Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Fury
- Craig Martell, CTO, Lockheed Martin, and Ylli Bajraktari, President and CEO, Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), discuss the challenges and opportunities of next-gen artificial intelligence
AIAA SciTech Forum is known for setting the pace of innovation and connection for the year. This year’s inspirational theme, “Breaking Barriers Together: Boundless Discovery,” will envision the possibilities for aerospace’s future. Other notable speakers include:
- Camille Alleyne, Founder and CEO, Arusha Space, LLC
- Carissa Christensen, CEO, BryceTech
- Todd Citron, CTO, The Boeing Company
- Greg Ombach, Senior Vice President, Airbus
- Will Roper, CEO, Istari Digital, and former Assistant Secretary of Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, U.S. Air and Space Force
- Brad Rothenberg, CEO, nTop
- Ryan Tseng, President, Co-founder, and Chief Strategy Officer, Shield AI
- Danica Vallone, CEO, Making Space
The new Career Accelerator Program for university students will deliver an intensive day of career advice and tools from AIAA Corporate Member hiring managers and recruiters, plus confirmed speakers:
- Hillary Coe, Chief Design and Marketing Officer, Vast
- Amy Medina Jorge, Educator and Blue Origin commercial astronaut
- Joan Misner, Social Media Influencer @YourFemaleEngineer
Registration with the best pricing is available through 15 December. For the most up-to-date program information, visit SciTech.aiaa.org. Journalists can request media credentials at [email protected].
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook.
Early-Bird Registration for AIAA SciTech Forum Ends 15 December
Aerospace Award Winners to be Honored at AIAA SciTech Forum 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will bestow awards to aerospace innovators who made an impact on the industry over the past year during the AIAA SciTech Forum 2026, 12–16 January, Orlando, Fla. The awards will be presented during the forum at a special Awards Recognition Ceremony. Forum registration is available now. Journalists can request press credentials to cover the forum at [email protected].
“Congratulations to this year’s award winners! These remarkable individuals are highly regarded in their field and have been chosen by their peers. Their impressive contributions are advancing aeronautics and astronautics while also inspiring the next generation of aerospace professionals,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “They are truly shaping the future of aerospace.”
For more information about the AIAA Honors and Awards program, contact Patricia A. Carr at [email protected].
LITERARY AWARDS
2026 AIAA Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award
The award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical non-fiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.
Sean Seyer
University of Kansas
Sovereign Skies: The Origins of American Civil Aviation Policy
2026 AIAA Elementary Children’s Literature Award
This award is presented to an outstanding, significant, and original contribution in aeronautics and astronautics literature for youth audiences.
Lauren Sánchez Bezos
The Fly Who Flew To Space
TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
2026 AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Award
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.
Mark P. Wernet|
NASA Glenn Research Center
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
This award is presented to recognize individuals that have made important and substantial contributions in the field of guidance, navigation and control.
Kathleen Howell
Purdue University
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
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.
Jeffrey Hojnicki
NASA Glenn Research Center (retired)
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
This award is presented to an individual for sustained, meritorious accomplishment in the arts, sciences, and technology of air breathing propulsion systems.
Eric J. Ruggiero
GE Aerospace
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
This award is presented to an individual to recognize outstanding achievement or contribution in design, analysis, implementation, and/or testing of survivability in an aerospace system.
Timothy L. Williams
Boeing Defense, Space, and Security
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
This award is presented for an outstanding individual achievement in the application of flight simulation to aerospace training, research, and development.
Bruce Jackson
Adaptive Aerospace Group, Inc.
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
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.
Kemal Hanjalić
Delft University of Technology
University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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 Intelligent Systems Award
This award is presented to recognize important fundamental contributions to intelligent systems technologies and applications that advance the capabilities of aerospace systems.
Mary “Missy” Louise Cummings
George Mason University
For outstanding and sustained contributions to human supervision and control of intelligent autonomous aerospace vehicles.
2026 AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award
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.
Michael Bolender
Air Force Research Laboratory, AFRL/RQQA
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
This award is presented for significant contributions in microgravity science, space processing, or in furthering the use of microgravity for space processing.
Steven Collicott
Purdue University
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
This award is presented for outstanding technical contributions to aeronautical or astronautical combustion engineering.
Fokion Egolfopoulos
University of Southern California
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
This award is presented for outstanding achievement in the development or application of rocket propulsion systems.
Vladimir J. Hruby
Busek Co. Inc.
In recognition of outstanding technical contributions in the field of spacecraft electric propulsion, and foundational influence on the industry.
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter.
AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 to Break Barriers Together
Registration Is Open for the World’s Largest Aerospace R&D Event
October 9, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA announced registration is open for the premier aerospace R&D event of the year, AIAA SciTech Forum 2026, 12–16 January, Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, Florida.
The forum’s inspirational theme, “Breaking Barriers Together: Boundless Discovery,” will deliver sessions and presentations envisioning the possibilities for aerospace’s future. More than 5,000 engineering minds from across industry, government, and academia are expected to gather, setting the pace of innovation and connection for the year.
From artificial intelligence and autonomy to high-speed propulsion and quantum computing, the program is designed to engage aerospace professionals in the next breakthroughs. The forum features nearly 3,000 technical presentations, as well as an extensive lineup of aerospace and defense industry leaders and innovators from across industry, government, and academia as speakers.
Confirmed plenary speakers include:
- Jonathan Arenberg, Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration, Northrop Grumman, will provide a unique look at NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the premier observatory of the next decade that is studying every phase in the history of our universe. Having served as Northrop Grumman’s chief engineer on Webb, he will share his insights into its origins, development, operation, and lessons learned.
- Arbi Karapetian, Director, Innovation and Technology, Formula 1, will share how early-stage science and technology innovation fuels performance across industries. He will draw from his nearly 30 years of aerospace experience, most recently with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
New this year is the intensive Career Accelerator Program for university students. This full-day program will provide practical and actionable strategies to attendees to launch and navigate their careers in aerospace. Planned for Monday, 12 January, attendees will gain insights into what it takes to succeed in the industry with a series of expert-led microsessions offering leadership development tools and the latest career advice. The popular Student Lounge will be sponsored by Lockheed Martin for the next generation of aerospace professionals to network with each other throughout the week.
Premier sponsor Lockheed Martin will deliver sessions during the week on its AI Fight Club™, a head-to-head competitive environment designed to accelerate how artificial intelligence is developed and deployed. Speakers will share insights about this comprehensive testing ground that simulates how AI systems perform across domains – air, land, sea and space – to test models that meet Department of Defense (DOD) qualifications.
Features of the forum include:
- 60+ Technical Disciplines: The deep technical content sets an AIAA forum apart from other industry events. Technical sessions will cover applied aerodynamics; fluid dynamics; guidance, navigation, and control; intelligent systems; propellants and combustion; and many more.
- 100+ Exhibitors: With hardware displays to live demos to hands-on experiences, the expanded Expo Hall will showcase the latest technological developments from top companies, universities, and government agencies.
- Rising Leaders in Aerospace: Special programming and networking opportunities are scheduled for young professionals, designed by young professionals, including the popular Speed Mentoring session, as well as panels and interactive workshops on a variety of topics.
- Meet the Employers and Meet the Universities: These speed networking style events return for AIAA Corporate Members to recruit students and young professionals seeking their next steps in employment or advanced degree programs.
- Talks at the HUB: The Expo Hall will feature a series of lightning talks from innovators and inventors, with direct audience engagement from the dedicated HUB stage.
Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. For the most up-to-date program and registration information, visit SciTech.aiaa.org. Press passes are available by emailing [email protected].
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook.