A global institution with a long history of promoting developments in aerospace and aviation has honored an internationally acclaimed faculty member for his impactful research in propulsion, laser diagnostics, power generation, transportation and space air quality monitoring.
The Royal Aeronautical Society has recognized UCF Aerospace Engineering Professor Subith Vasu as a fellow. Founded in 1866, the organization works to advance global initiatives in aeronautical art, science and engineering, with more than 25,000 members worldwide. The fellow designation is the highest level of membership in the society, awarded to only those who have made significant contributions in their field.
“The Royal Aeronautical Society is the oldest international professional institution devoted to the aerospace community,” Vasu says. “This is an honor and a recognition for myself, students and researchers worked with me, and also for UCF.”
Vasu, a UCF Trustee Chair, is a researcher at the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research and a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He is a world-renown expert in laser and optical sensors, shock waves, spectroscopy, reaction flows and chemical kinetics. His prolific research spans aerothermal sensors, combustion, high-speed vehicles, aviation and propellants.
Known internationally for his research, Vasu was featured in the documentary film “Combustion Man” for his innovative shock tube and laser diagnostics techniques, which have uncovered significant findings in chemicals weapons destruction research.
His most recent work includes studying advanced air mobility, a transportation method that uses automated, electric aircraft capable of vertical take-offs and landings. With support from a $750,000 NASA grant, he and his team are evaluating the effects these “air taxis” and their vertiports, or launch pads, may have on surrounding communities, such as air pollution and noise. He is also leading several other cutting-edge research sponsored by the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and many industries.
Vasu earned his doctoral degree from Stanford University in 2010. Before joining UCF in 2012 as an assistant professor, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Sandia National Labs. Vasu has received a number of highly prestigious honors over his career, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director’s Fellowship, DARPA Young Faculty Award, the Microsoft Investigator Fellowship, the Society of Automotive Engineers Ralph R. Teetor Award, and the International Gas Turbine Institute Dilip Ballal Early Career Award. Vasu is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
- Written by Bel Huston