Kelly Griendling
Dr. Kelly Griendling is a seasoned lecturer in the prestigious Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering with a passion for active learning and innovative teaching practices. She teaches an array of courses with the aerospace undergraduate program and has been recognized with numerous awards for her commitment to student success and creative approaches to teaching and learning. Some of her particular focus areas in the classroom include the use of entrepreneurial-minded learning, alternative assessment practices, exceptional learning practices, and the integration of sustainability into engineering courses.
Dr. Griendling also serves as the K-12 Outreach Lead for both the School of Aerospace and the Georgia Space Grant Consortium, running an expansive outreach program that encourages undergraduate and graduate students to engage with K-12 students around Georgia. She founded and is currently the director of the Science, Technology, and Engineering Program (STEP), an innovative initiative creating valuable engineering experiences accessible to all high school students in Georgia. She is also a Co-I for Georgia Tech’s NASA KIDS award, playing a key role in developing a machine-learning and artificial intelligence curriculum for students in grades 6-12 that will be deployed across the southeastern US. She served as the outreach coordinator for Georgia Tech's inaugural DARPA-funded MENTOR program and as the curriculum development lead for the follow-on MENTOR 2.
She earned her Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. During her graduate studies, she distinguished herself as a Sam Nunn Security Fellow, showcasing her dedication to the intersection of aerospace and security.
Dr. Griendling's journey in aerospace education includes a significant tenure as the chief of the Advanced Systems Engineering division for the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) within the AE School. In this capacity, she successfully managed a diverse portfolio of research projects, focusing on the development of advanced methodologies tailored for addressing large, complex challenges in the aerospace and defense sectors. Prior to her current role, she served as a senior project manager at Georgia's Center of Innovation for Aerospace, where she played a pivotal role in providing data analytics and technical guidance to bolster the state's aerospace industry.
Prof. Griendling’s teaching interests center on undergraduate aerospace engineering, with a focus on helping students build a durable foundation in core aerospace principles while strengthening their analytical and problem-solving skills. Her teaching emphasizes connecting theory to practice so students can apply concepts in realistic, engineering-focused contexts rather than treating them as isolated equations. She is especially interested in active, hands-on, and collaborative approaches—using structured in-class activities, labs, and projects (including simulation- and design-focused experiences) to make abstract ideas tangible and engaging. Her instruction also deliberately reinforces the professional skills that underpin effective engineering practice, including communication, teamwork, ethics, and sustainability, so students leave her courses better prepared for the technical and human challenges of the field.
Professor Griendling’s research interests bridge aerospace engineering practice and engineering education. She is particularly focused on developing and studying curricular and pedagogical approaches that help students become “whole engineers,” connecting technical learning to professional identity, ethical responsibility, and real-world value. Her work emphasizes experiential, hands-on learning and reflective practices that make abstract concepts tangible and support deeper student engagement. She is also interested in scalable course and program innovations—such as project-based outreach and alternative assessment structures—that strengthen learning, feedback, and student success across a wide range of educational settings.
Research
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Engineering Curriculum Development and Learning Strategies
- K-12 STEM Education Practices
- Use of Robotics in Teaching and Learning
- System of Systems and Complex Systems Integration
Education
- B.S., Aerospace Engineering, 2006, Georgia Institute of Technology;
- M.S. Aerospace Engineering, 2008, Georgia Institute of Technology;
- Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, 2011, Georgia Institute of Technology.
- C. Virgil Smith Faculty Teaching Award
- Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), 2025
- 2024 CIOS Award for Large Classes (College of Engineering)
- School of Aerospace Engineering Most Valuable Professor Award, 2023;
- WIE Faculty Teaching Award, 2022;
- Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching: Class of 1934 CIOS Honor Roll, 2021, 2023;
- Create-X Jim Pope Faculty Fellow, 2020;
- KEEN Engineering Unleashed Faculty Fellow, 2021;
- Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation Award, 2023;
- Hesburgh Award Teaching Fellow, 2023.
- Kali Morgan, Kelly Griendling, Stephen Ruffin, J. Kinney, Work-in-progress: Reflection & Projection: An Exploration of a Scavenger Hunt Assignment in an Introduction to Aerospace Engineering Course, 2024
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41817 - Kelly Griendling, How does the International Space Station orbit Earth without burning up?, 2024
DOI: 10.64628/aai.3xfxsfpv4 - Claudio DiLeo, Kelly Griendling, Kali Morgan, Mayuresh Patil, Jerry Seitzman, Adapting the Aerospace Engineering Curriculum to Cultivate the Whole Engineer, 2023
DOI: 10.2514/6.2023-3660 - Johnathon Huff, William B. Leonard, Brian Smith, Kelly Griendling, Hugh Medal, NATO Human View Executable Architectures for Critical Infrastructure Analysis, Engineering Management Journal, 2019
DOI: 10.1080/10429247.2019.1656594 - Johnathon Huff, Hugh Medal, Kelly Griendling, A model‐based systems engineering approach to critical infrastructure vulnerability assessment and decision analysis, Systems Engineering, 2018
DOI: 10.1002/sys.21460