Professor in aerospace engineering presented with 2023 AIAA Aerodynamics Award
Published: Jun 20, 2023 11:05 AM
By Joe McAdory
Roy Hartfield has devoted a 30-plus year career to the study of aerodynamics, propulsion, statistical analysis of air vehicles, and aircraft research. The Walt and Virginia Woltosz Professor of Aerospace Engineering has dozens of articles published in academic journals, has served as the principal investigator for research grants funded by the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Force, and private industry, guided master’s and doctoral students toward successful careers in aerospace engineering, and is currently authoring the book, “Applied Rocket Propulsion.”
He is the 2018 recipient of the Herman Oberth Award for Excellence in Rocket Propulsion, and the 2023 recipient of the Mark Spencer Award for mentorship and served the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in numerous roles.
In short, his impact on aerodynamics – within industry and academia – is broad.
For his dedication to the discipline, Hartfield was awarded the 2023 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerodynamics Award at its annual convention, June 12-16, in San Diego.
The AIAA’s award citation reads: “For the development of fast and practical predictive approaches to the problem of aerodynamic analysis of air vehicles at both conceptual and preliminary design stages.” It is presented for meritorious achievement in the field of applied aerodynamics, recognizing notable contributions in the development, application, and evaluation of aerodynamic concepts and methods.
“It is a career achievement award, but I must give credit to people I’ve worked with,” said Hartfield, who joined the Auburn faculty in 1990 after earning a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia. “There were several people who played integral roles in research projects, including the late John Burkhalter, and many former graduate students, most notably Dr. Vivek Ahuja.”
Hartfield, recognized in 2021 as a Fellow by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, pointed out a pair of research papers he believes to be “most impactful,” including “Non-Linear Aerodynamic Analysis of Grid Fin Configurations,” among papers co-authored by Burkhalter, and “Aerodynamic Loads over Arbitrary Bodies by Method of Integrated Circulation,” among papers co-authored by Ahuja.
Ahuja and Hartfield were joined by co-authors Joe Majdalani, professor and Francis Chair of Excellence, and doctoral student Griffin DiMaggio to win the AIAA’s 2022 Solid Rockets Best Paper.
Ahuja, who earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering in 2008 from Auburn and followed that with a doctorate in 2013, co-founded the Auburn-based company Research in Flight with Hartfield.
Why is impactful research so important to Hartfield?
“I believe that intellectuals see their contribution in life as developing something that lasts longer than a lifetime,” he said. “Viktor Frankl’s autobiographical Man's Search for Meaning famously demonstrates the importance of meaningful contribution to the human condition. Research for the sake of research doesn’t quench that thirst. The internal desire to create impactful research does.”
Media Contact: , jem0040@auburn.edu, 334.844.3447
Roy Hartfield, right, has devoted a 30-plus year career to the study of aerodynamics, propulsion, statistical analysis of air vehicles, and aircraft research.
