The honor of Associate Fellow is bestowed upon individuals who have achieved notable advances in engineering or scientific research, or who have rendered exceptional contributions to aeronautical and astronautical technology. This prestigious title is awarded to members who have at least 12 years of professional experience and have received recommendations from their colleagues.
Dr. Hartl poses at the AIAA Associate Fellows Induction Ceremony with his faculty colleagues (and AIAA Fellows; L to R) Bonnie Dunbar, Dimitris Lagoudas, and John Valasek.
“This group of individuals represents a very small percentage of all aerospace researchers,” said Hartl. “It is a recognition that my work and contributions have been especially unique and valuable, which is what all faculty researchers aspire to. Most of that work was done with and by students I have mentored, making it a team prize. It also communicates to my current and future students that our work matters.”
His research includes increasing efficiency and decreasing noise in flight, exploring novel spacecraft components, and discovering how those components can change shape to impact the amount of heat they reject. With over 20 years of experience, his extensive body of work is founded on the time he spent as a graduate student at Texas A&M, followed by four challenging years working with bold thinkers at Boeing Research and Technology as well as the Air Force Research Laboratory. Since that time, he has mentored and graduated doctoral students who are now placed as national servant researchers with Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the U.S. Military.
“Being selected as one of six Texas A&M professors for undergraduate teaching excellence in 2024, and the only selection from our extensive College of Engineering, is one of my most impactful accomplishments to date,” said Hartl. “It allows me to develop new national leaders for our aerospace ecosystem.”
The institute formally honored the class at the AIAA Associate Fellows Induction Ceremony in January during the 2026 AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando.
Dr. Hartl and the entire AIAA Associate Fellow Class of 2026 (Photo by David Becker)