Cristina Riso
Dr. Cristina Riso joined the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor in January 2022. Her research group investigates dynamic aeroelastic phenomena in next-generation aerospace vehicles using novel computational models and analysis methods. Current research efforts focus on both advancing the fundamental understanding of new fixed-wing and vertical lift configurations and supporting their design.
Dr. Riso came to Georgia Tech from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, she was a Research Fellow in the Airbus-Michigan Center for Aero-Servo-Elasticity of Very Flexible Aircraft and the Active Aeroelasticity and Structures Research Laboratory. Dr. Riso holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Sapienza University of Rome. She is a member of the AIAA Structural Dynamics Technical Committee, VFS Dynamics Technical Committee, and AIAA Aeroelastic Prediction Workshop Large Deflection Working Group.
Professor Riso's teaching focuses on structural dynamics and aeroelasticity. At the undergraduate level, she teaches a senior elective course on structural dynamics and aeroelasticity (AE 4220). At the graduate level, she teaches courses on structural dynamics (AE 6230), fixed-wing aeroelasticity (AE 6200), and rotary-wing aeroelasticity (AE 6220). Her instruction emphasizes a rigorous theoretical foundation combined with physical intuition and practical problem-solving skills.
Professor Riso's research investigates dynamic aeroelastic phenomena in fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft using novel computational models and analysis methods. Her research aims to advance the fundamental understanding of the aeroelastic physics of new air vehicle configurations and support their design. Current focus areas include modeling, analysis, and simulation of nonlinear aeroelastic systems, development of methods to analyze flutter instabilities and limit-cycle oscillations, and inclusion of dynamic aeroelastic constraints into design optimization.
Lab/Collaborations:
- Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence (VLRCOE)
Disciplines:
- Aeroelasticity & Structural Dynamics
- Mechanics of Multifunctional Structures and Materials
- Sustainable Transportation and Energy Systems
- Vertical Lift and Urban Air Mobility
- B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2012, Sapienza University of Rome
- M.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 2014, Sapienza University of Rome
- Ph.D., Aeronautics and Space Engineering, 2018, Sapienza University of Rome
- Boeing Visiting Professor, 2025
- International Forum on Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics Keynote Speaker, 2024
- ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, 2023
- Inclusive STEM Teaching Fellow, 2023
- Class of 1969 Teaching Fellow, 2022
- Simmons, G., Kreshock, A. R., Thurnburgh, R. P., Sekula, M. K., and Riso, C., "Experimental Amplitude-Dependent Characterization of the TiltRotor Aeroelastic Stability Testbed," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, 2026.
- Riso, C., "Evaluation of Whirl Flutter Prediction Methods for a System with Hardening or Softening Structural Nonlinearities," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, 2025.
- Golla, T., Kennedy, G. J., and Riso, C., "Sliding-Window Matrix Pencil Method for Design Optimization with Limit-Cycle Oscillation Constraints," AIAA Journal, 2024.
- Riso, C., and Cesnik, C. E. S., "Geometrically Nonlinear Effects in Wing Aeroelastic Dynamics at Large Deflections," Journal of Fluids and Structures, 2023.
- Riso, C., and Cesnik, C. E. S., "Impact of Low-Order Modeling on Aeroelastic Predictions for Very Flexible Wings," Journal of Aircraft, 2023.