AE Research for Pay or Credit

Most of the following listings are for credit, requiring the student to both gain the faculty's approval and register for credit. Students who have questions about this should contact the project manager directly. Research opportunities will be added as they are made available. Check back for updates. 

STUDENTS: To get credit for any of the following research projects, you will need to submit a Undergraduate Research Permit. and have it approved by your advisor. Find out more about undergraduate research here.

FACULTY: Email AE Communications to add or update your research listing(s). 

Last updated: January 15, 2025

Project: ASDL Vehicle Grand Challenge – FAA Electric Flight and Battery Considerations for ACY Airport Shuttle
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? No
Project Managers:  Dr. Cedric Justin
Action: Email Jessica Alewine (jalewine3@gatech.edu) with your resume and why you are interested in this project.
Semesters: Spring 2025
Time Commitment: 1-2 credits (4-6 hrs./week)
Number of Students Needed: 1
Citizenship Requirement: No restrictions
GPA Requirement: 3.3
Majors: Aerospace, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science
Details: We are looking for self-motivated students interested in electric-powered urban air mobility vehicles to assist with composing and modifying code, especially for battery modeling of an air vehicle. Also needed to assist with literature review on NDARC (NASA Design and Analysis of Rotorcraft) tool used for mission performance. Experience with Python is strongly desired, but applicants with a strong motivation to learn and contribute to this project will be considered.

Project: ASDL System of Systems Grand Challenge – Regional Airport Infrastructure Electrification
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? Yes
Project Managers: Dr. Yu Cai and Dr. Cedric Justin
Action: Email Arthur White (awhite330@gatech.edu) with your resume, transcript, and why you are interested in this project.
Semesters: Spring 2025
Time Commitment: 2-3 credits (6-9 hrs/week)
Number of Students Needed: 2
Citizenship Requirement: None
GPA Requirement: None
Majors: Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering
Details: We are looking for self-motivated students interested in airport infrastructure electrification to assist with data gathering of airport flight schedules and the power load of airports and electric ground support equipment. Students may also have the opportunity to assist with the modeling of annual airport power demand with the data gathered. Experience with Python is desired, but applicants with a strong motivation to learn and contribute to this project will be considered regardless of previous experience.

Project: Analysis of Rotational Habitat Atmosphere Dynamics
Project Manager: Dr. Álvaro Romero-Calvo
Office: ESM 203B
Grad Student: Eric Comstock
Office: ESM 101
Time Commitment: About 6-9 hrs per week (flexible). Scales with the number of credit hours registered for undergraduate research.
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? Yes, but active participation is required
Number of Students Needed: 2-3
Citizenship Requirement: No
GPA Requirement: 3.5+ preferred; 3.2 minimum
Seniority Requirement: Students should have knowledge of integral calculus and differential equations, and be familiar with the Python programming language.
Majors: All, but Aerospace and Physics majors are preferred
Action: Submit your application using this form before Phase II registration starts. Successful applicants will be notified shortly thereafter.
Details: The concept of rotational artificial gravity has been explored in futurism and science fiction for decades for long-term space habitation, but it is unclear if the atmospheres of such objects would be stable without a gravity well confining them. As such, this project will investigate the feasibility of containing atmospheres using rotational gravity in large space habitats and quantifying the loss rates thereof. The Low-Gravity Science and Technology Laboratory is looking for students with interests in fluid modeling for (i) collisionless and collisional fluids, (ii) statistical simulation, (iii) initial value problems, and (iv) mass balances. The final grade is dependent on participation in weekly meetings and research contributions. (edited)  

Project: Aeroelastic Dynamics of Fixed- and Rotary-Wing Vehicles 
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? Remote or online work arrangements can be discussed, but the student(s) will need to commit to frequent interactions.  
Project Manager: Dr. Cristina Riso 
Action: Email your resume to Dr. Riso to be considered (criso@gatech.edu). Briefly explain why you are interested in this research opportunity, what you hope to learn from it, and any relevant background. 
Office: Weber 210C  
Semesters: Rolling  
Time Commitment: About 5-10 hours per week (flexible). Scales to the number of credit hours registered for undergraduate research.  
Number of Students Needed: Based on current project needs and capacity.  
Citizenship Requirement: No  
GPA Requirement: 3.5+  
Majors: AE 
Background: System dynamics and vibration background is required. Coursework or research / internship experiences in structural dynamics and aeroelasticity would be an asset.    
Software: Proficiency in at least one programming language is required. Experience with version control would be an asset.  
Details: The Structural Dynamics and Aeroelasticity Research Laboratory has opportunities for undergraduate students interested in contributing to ongoing research on aeroelastic flutter and dynamic responses of fixed- and rotary-wing vehicles. The students will work with group members in developing numerical benchmarks to test new prediction methodologies, explore algorithmic improvements in these methodologies, or incorporate aeroelastic predictions into design optimization frameworks, depending on interests and current project needs.  

Project: Aerial and Ground Wildfire Fighting Operations Research
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? Not completely. In-person meetings are required.
Project Manager: Dr. Burak Bagdatli
Action: Email your resume to Dr. Burak Bagdatli (burak.bagdatli@ae.gatech.edu)
Office: Weber 303
Semesters: Start in Fall and Spring, can continue in Summer 
Time Commitment: 4‒8 hrs per week (1 to 2 credits)
Number of Students Needed: 1‒2 motivated students. Open to any major and program.
Citizenship Requirement: No
GPA Requirement: 3.5+ preferred, 3.2 minimum
Details:  Wildland fires pose a pervasive threat, characterized by sudden occurrences and the potential for widespread damage to lives and property. The impact of climate change intensifies fire seasons, making wildfires increasingly difficult to manage. In the United States, significant resources, both federally funded and privately owned, are dedicated to firefighting operations, exhibiting a well-organized and managed approach. Globally, the problem remains the same for each country; however, with different systems, tactics, and climate! Our research aims to be all-inclusive with creating geographical data layers and description of systems and tactics.

This research aims at improving wildfire fighting operations by modeling the operations in agent-based simulation environments and observing the impacts of new technologies, changing tactics, and dedicating more resources to the operations. ASDL has been working with Lockheed Martin and Saab on this project and has been receiving interest in our work from entities such as NASA and the FAA. Come join our team and help us build the environment to test new operational tactics. Familiarity with Python is required. If you have skills in GIS software, we’d love to have you as part of the team! Additional programming language experience would be a bonus (Rust, C++, etc.) but not a requirement.

Project: Wind Tunnel Experiments for Rotor—Rotor Aerodynamic Interactions, Rotor–Wing Aerodynamic Interactions, Ship Airwake–Rotor Interactions and Electric Ducted Fan (EDF) Characterization for UAM/RAM Applications
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed?:  No. The work will be on-site.
Project Manager: Dr. Juergen Rauleder. Students will be supervised by Sihong Yan ( post-doc ).
Action: Email your resume and supporting materials ( the proof of access to AE machine shop and/or a poster on a previous project ) to Sihong Yan (sihong.yan@gatech) to be considered. Please contact Sihong for any questions related to background/software requirements.
Office: Weber 214
Semesters: Spring 2025
Time Commitment: About 5-10 hours per week (flexible). Scales to the number of credit hours registered for undergraduate research.
Number of Students Needed: 1-3
Citizenship Requirement: No
GPA Requirement: 3.7+ preferred; 3.5 minimum.
Majors: AE
Background:  Preferences will be given to students meeting one or more of following requirements:

1. Permission to work in the AE machine shop (MK105) by the start date.
2. Proficiency in CAD software;
3. Experiences with controllers( single-board, FPGA or RT-Linux ) and data acquisition system( data loggers or professional ADC modules( examples: LabJacks, National Instrument );
4. Fundamental understandings of analog/digital DC circuits/signals;
5. Experiences with digital communication protocols ( Examples: UART, SPI, I2C )

Previous experiences on wind tunnel experiments are preferred. Coursework or research / internship experiences in aerodynamics, structural dynamics, aeroelasticity and signal processing would be an asset.  
Software: Proficiency in one of the following languages ( C, C++, MatLab/SimuLink, Python or LabView ); 
Details: CEREAL: Computational and Experimental Rotorcraft Engineering and Aerodynamics Lab has opportunities for undergraduate students who are interested in contributing to ongoing research on experimental aerodynamics measurement of fixed- and rotary-wing vehicles. The students will work with group members in developing wind tunnel test rigs for multiple projects based on interests and backgrounds.

Project: Spacecraft Plant Chamber Monitoring & Control
Project Manager: Dr. Álvaro Romero-Calvo
Office: ESM 203B Semesters: Fall 2024 - Spring 2027   
Time Commitment: About 6-9 hrs per week (flexible). Scales with the number of credit hours registered for undergraduate research.
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? No
Number of Students Needed: 6
Citizenship Requirement: No
GPA Requirement: 3.7+ preferred; 3.5 minimum  
Seniority Requirement: 3^rd year + students with a background in plant biology AND/OR hardware development / machining AND/OR machine learning / artificial intelligence  
Majors: AE-only
Action: Submit your application using this form before Phase II registration starts. Successful applicants will be notified before the beginning of the semester.  
Details: A 3-year 6-crewmember mission to Mars requires ~11,000 kg of food with an 18-20% packaging mass overhead. With launch costs of the order of 23,000 USD/kg, bioregenerative life support systems are widely regarded as a promising approach to reduce future upmass requirements and provide supplementary nutrients to the crew. Plant chambers seek to address the second objective, but existing designs onboard the International Space Station (ISS) are faced with multiple challenges associated with the lack of effective gravity and the need for reliable food production methods. The Low-Gravity Science and Technology Laboratory is looking for students with a strong interest in space biology to (i) design and build an ISS-like plant chamber with temperature, humidity, air, water, and light control, (ii) test spaceflight-compatible crops in preparation for future missions, (iii) develop novel hydroponic and porous plant watering systems for partial-gravity environments, and (iv) train environmental monitoring ML/AI algorithms using hyperspectral imaging. Students enrolled in this URO program will be asked to complete a series of homework assignments aimed at providing a basic background on the topic. 

Project: Studies on Rocket Propellant Sloshing
Project Manager: Dr. Álvaro Romero-Calvo
Office: ESM 203B
Semesters: Ongoing long-term effort
Time Commitment: About 6-9 hrs per week (flexible). Scales with the number of credit hours registered for undergraduate research.
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? Yes, but active participation is required
Number of Students Needed: 10-15
Citizenship Requirement: No
GPA Requirement: 3.7+ preferred; 3.5 minimum
Seniority Requirement: Students should have passed AE-201X -Thermodynamics & Fluid Mechanics- with an A grade prior to joining this project.
Majors: AE-only
Action: Submit your application using this form before Phase II registration starts. Successful applicants will be notified shortly thereafter. 
Details: The term “sloshing” describes the movement of liquids in partially filled containers. Sloshing is key for aerospace applications because it can significantly alter the dynamics of space vehicles or prevent propellant ingestion into their engines. Although research on liquid sloshing has been carried out for the last 70 years, multiple questions remain at the fundamental and applied levels. The Low-Gravity Science and Technology Laboratory is looking for students with a strong interest in rocket propulsion to (i) develop analytical open-access tools in Python or Matlab to study the sloshing of propellants in launch stages, (ii) build and operate an automated sloshing damping testbed for tank characterization, (iii) design and launch sounding rocket experiments to validate dynamic models assessing fluid-structure interactions, and (iv) study the behavior of propellants in simulated low-gravity conditions using neutral buoyancy mixtures. First-time students are required complete four homework assignments based on NASA’s SP-106 and F.T. Dodge’s “The New Dynamic Behavior of Liquids in Moving Containers” prior to joining the research subgroups. The final grade is dependent on the completion of these assignments, participation in weekly meetings, and research contributions.

Project:  Propulsion and Combustion Research in the CNES and Ben T. Zinn Combustion Labs
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? No, projects require hands-on work in the lab.
Project Manager: Drs. Mazumdar, Steinberg, Sun, and Wehe.
Action: Email your resume to Dr. Shawn Wehe (swehe7@gatech.edu) in April for Summer and Fall terms and in October for the Spring term.
Office: Ben T. Zinn Combustion Lab, Rm 110.
Semesters: Ongoing, Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.
Time Commitment: Typically, about 10 hrs per week, but lower commitments possible. The commitment scales to the number of credit hours registered for undergraduate research.
Number of Students Needed: Around 15-20 each semester.
Citizenship Requirement: Generally, no, though some projects may require US Persons.
GPA Requirement (optional): 3.5+ preferred; 3.25 minimum.
Majors: AE and ME.
Details: The Ben T. Zinn Combustion Lab is one of the largest and most advanced academic research facilities in the world dedicated to the science and engineering of combustion systems. There typically are dozens of active research projects in the lab at any given time, on topics such as sustainability and alternative fuels, pollutant emissions, supersonic transport, hypersonic systems, combustion chemistry, multi-phase flows, energetic materials, detonations, plasmas, laser combustion diagnostics, reacting turbulence, and many other topics. This posting is for students who are generally interested in conducting research in the Combustion Lab. Alignment of individual students and projects will occur during interviews and meetings prior to each semester.

Project: Solar Energy Generation at Airports - ASDL
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? Yes
Project Manager: Dr. Cedric Justin
Action: Email your resume to cedric.justin@gatech.edu using email subject:
 ASDL Solar Energy Generation at Airport - last name, first name.
In the text,  include citizenship info, gpa, expected graduation date & level (1st year, 2nd year, etc.)
Office: Weber 113A
Semesters: at least one, could be two
Time Commitment: 8 hrs /week ~ 2 Credit hours
Number of Students Needed:  1-2 Self-Driven Motivated Students
Citizenship Requirement: None
GPA Requirement: 3.5+ preferred; 3.2 minimum
Details: Airports are sitting on vast amounts of land that are not put to productive use. As part of this research, we will be reviewing how these large amounts of lands can be put to productive use by sitting solar arrays for in-situ production of electric energy to power future electric aircraft. We will investigate regulations regarding the sitting of solar arrays at airports near runways and taxiways. We will then use and possibly modify an existing environment to estimate the quantity of solar arrays that can be placed as well as the amount of power and energy that can be produced.  Interactions with the industry and presentation of results may occur during the Semester.
Requirements for the positions: Python Experience & some Autocad Experience
Sample projects & external collaborators: Possibly with NASA / NREL
Additional information:  None

Project: System Modeling Using SysML - ASDL
Can this work be performed remotely or online, if needed? Yes
Project Manager: Dr. Selcuk Cimtalay
Action: Follow instructions on slide #10 in the “Model-Based Systems Engineering Information (pdf)” presentation (see “Additional information” below).​
Office: Weber 104
Semesters: at least one, could be several
Time Commitment: 4 hrs/week
Number of Students Needed:  1-15
Citizenship Requirement: varies
GPA Requirement: 3.5+ preferred; 3.2 minimum
Details: Multiple potential position types (depending on interests). Most, but not all, of our Systems Modeling Language (SysML) projects require US Persons, either US citizens or permanent residents
Requirements for the positions: A key requirement is an interest in SysML (no prior SysML experience required) and a willingness to learn and explore
Sample projects & external collaborators: Lockheed MBSE - CubeSat testbed – NASA MBSE Pathfinder initiative – US Navy (NAVAIR) Model-Centric Engineering (MCE) – UAV testbed – NASA JPL: model-based systems engineering (MBSE); model-based wikis; embedded s/w – Boeing: MBSE model complexity & health management.
Additional information:  Model-Based Systems Engineering Information (pdf)